Among the Outlaws
by NightWolfFire
Summary: As a child, Harry Potter dreamed of becoming a loyal member of the Serpents, an elite group of wizards and witches tasked by Emperor Riddle with hunting down and defeating the Order of the Phoenix. His hatred sparks his desire to see the Order fall and burn, but is the Order the true enemy? Dark Harry, AU, an exiled Order, and more.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hey guys, this is the Prologue of Among the Outlaws... Chapter 1 will be out in a couple of hours or so. If the prologue seems a bit confusing, wait until chapters 1 and 2 for explanations. Please review and happy reading.**

Harry Potter knew what he was doing was highly illegal and, if caught, he would most likely find himself waking up in a cell in Azkaban. Needless to say, the threat of imprisonment didn't scare him as much as it should have.

He was situated in a secret room used by authorized members of the British Wizengamot to silently observe court trials. This particular room was located slightly above the infamous Courtroom 13, where the worst criminals were questioned and received trials.

Harry shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with the sleeve of his robe. His godfather, who was present in the courtroom as one of the Lords of an important house, hadn't told him about the time it took for the trial to start. All he had received from his smiling godfather was a knowing smirk and a whispered reminder to not get caught.

"Bloody wanker," he murmured to himself, thinking of said godfather.

"Who?" the boy next time him drawled, unconsciously fixing his already immaculate platinum blond hair.

"Sirius. He never mentioned how long it bloody took for the Aurors and the prisoners to arrive at the trials," Harry replied, frowning slightly in irritation.

"Well to be fair, we do deserve a bit of payback from the mutt, no matter how petty my dear cousin can be. After all, you did blackmail him to get us into this room for the arguably the most interesting trial of the year," Draco reasoned.

"It was his own fault. He knows my mum will have an absolute fit if she somehow discovered a bunch of firewhiskey bottles hidden in his godson's room at Black Manor. He should have never hidden his stash there, and it would be a shame if Mum found out," Harry smirked, his green eyes shining with mirth. "All I asked him to do in exchange for not telling Mum was to let us watch this trial. He eventually agreed."

What Harry forgot to mention to Draco was the many hours he had spent with Sirius pleading and begging and his godfather's stern refusals to take Draco and his godson to watch the trial in person. Sirius was finally forced to give into his godson's demands with the threat of having to face the wrath of an angry Lily Potter (Harry, annoyed at having spent so much time begging his godfather, had threatened to present his mum with Sirius' stash of firewhiskey).

Draco snorted. "There's a name for that, Harry. It's called blackmail."

Harry sniggered. "It worked out, didn't it? Sirius got us into here. Now do me a favour and shut up. They're starting the trial."

Draco's rather indignant protest to being told to shut up died as the massive doors to Court Room 13 opened with a bang. All chatter and noise from those seated in the seats around the circular courtroom died down as an Auror squad lead a shackled prisoner inside the room.

Harry wasn't very impressed with the appearance of the prisoner. He could tell Draco wasn't either by the way Draco raised an eyebow.

"He doesn't look like a criminal, much less a member of the Order of the Phoenix," Draco sneered. "The Order must be desperate."

The man in question was lead to the center of the courtroom, where he was forced by an Auror to seat in the lone chair in the middle of the platform. With a wave of another Auror's wand, chains appeared, circling the prisoner and binding him to his seat.

Harry took a moment to observe the prisoner, who was sitting with his eyes closed as if he had no care in the world as the Auror squad silently left the courtroom. He agreed with Draco's assessment that he wasn't very remarkable. He had cropped brown hair and a crooked nose that looked like it was recently broken.

Harry turned his gaze to the judging panel, which was made of three individuals. The lone woman on the panel raised her wand, as a loud bang echoed throughout the courtroom.

"The trial of Alan Carters, known associate of Albus Dumbledore and member of the Order of Phoenix will begin now," Amelia Bones said. Harry recognized her from various pictures Sirius had showed him over the years. He tuned her out for a moment, finding the beginning of the trail rather boring."…and passing important Ministry information to the Order. How do you plead to this accusation, Mr. Carters?"

Harry stifled a gasp as the man opened his eyes. Cold, ice-blue eyes glared out at Bones and the rest of the judge panel, as his face twisted into a smirk. Harry shivered at the sight. Carters raised his head proudly, staring directly into the face of the Head of the DMLE. "I find it hard to object against your accusations, Madame Bones. The only regret I have is that Britain has yet to notice the corruption and wickedness that plagues our nation in the form of Emperor Riddle and his followers. I refuse to follow such a tyrant and I swear, I fucking swear, one day his lies will be revealed for what they are: lies. His so called empire will fall, crashing and burning…"  
Carters was cut off suddenly and violently when he found himself not being able to breathe. A man wearing the dark green robes of a Serpent had risen from the stands, wand clutched tightly in his hand. His rage was visible as his face contorted into an expression filled with hate as he choked Carters.

"You dare speak against our Emperor himself, you mudblood filth," he spat. "You truly know nothing of our world. Our emperor has ensured the prosperity of our entire country, while filth like you and the rest of the Order live to destroy it. Now take your punishment as an example of what happens to those who disobey the Emperor."

Harry gasped and Draco swore as a sickly green light zoomed towards Carter and connected. The member of the Order slumped in his chair, eyes closed forever.

The Serpent pocketed his wand, face still filled with hatred. "Let this be a lesson to all of you. No matter who you are, the result of treason and disobedience is death. Do not trust the words of a muggle-lover and all the mudbloods that plague our world. The only thing they can do for you is lead you towards your death. This trial has ended." With that, the Serpent stood up, green robes billowing, and left the courtroom.

"What did you think of the trial?" Sirius asked the two boys after apparating both of them back to Black Manor.

"It was fascinating finally seeing one of the Order bastards standing trial," Draco replied. "I was surprised to see that Serpent AK'ing him so quickly."  
"Yeah," Sirius grimaced. "I really didn't want you two to see that. It was a cruel way to end his life, no matter what he did."

"He deserved it," Harry said suddenly. He had been quiet so far in the discussion, and now both Draco and Sirius turned to look at him. "He bloody deserved it."

Sirius began to protest, but Harry cut him off. "He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. That alone should be a death sentence," he said coldly.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, that doesn't excuse that Serpent. He murdered the poor man in cold blood, without any type of sentence. Nobody deserves that."

"I don't care. His status as a member of the Order marked him for dead. I say good riddance." Harry said, contempt for Carters plain to hear in his voice.

"Harry…" Sirius began.

"I don't want to hear it, Sirius. They've killed so many good wizards and witches. Or have you forgotten how they murdered my FATHER in cold blood?" Harry's voice rose in pitch as he began to progressively get louder. "THEY BLOODY KILLED HIM WITHOUT HESITATION. HE SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO SAVE HIS MEN, AND THEY BLOODY AK'D HIM. THEY MASSACRED HIS AUROR SQUAD AFTER THAT!" Harry screamed, tears starting to stream down his face as he sat down in a chair, exhausted.

Sirius immediately moved to Harry's side, comforting him. "It's okay cub, you've had a long day. I shouldn't have taken you two there."

Draco fidgeted, uncomfortable with Harry's outburst and felt as if he was intruding on a family moment. "I'll floo back to Malfoy Manor then," he told Sirius, and headed out of the room.

Harry's tears began to dry, as he clung onto his godfather fiercely. "Sirius?" he asked.

"Yeah, cub?" replied his godfather.

"I'll kill them," Harry whispered, his voice hoarse. "One day, I swear I'll kill them all. The Order will fall and burn, and I'll be there to witness it."


	2. Chapter 1: Memories

**AN: Here's Chapter 1 of this story, in which we learn about Harry's pre-Hogwarts life and make startling discoveries.**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. None of it (Except for the occasional OCs)**

Harry didn't remember much about his father before his death. He knew James Potter, former Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, was an outstanding wizard. He was widely regarded in Britain as an intelligent, powerful, popular, and good-natured man. His best friend was Harry's godfather, Sirius. They had met at Hogwarts and became close friends during their seven years there.

Harry hadn't been old enough to quite understand what his father's death meant on the night the Aurors came, bearing the bad news. He was only 6 years old, but remembered the day clearly. It wasn't a relatively good day to begin with. It stormed all day, and the frequent sounds of lightning/thunder had scared the child. The Auror pair tasked with informing the late Head Auror Potter's family about his untimely death had arrived at the door at exactly 7:04 p.m. Having watched his memory of the day again in the Black family's pensieve, Harry knew that, even as a child, he could tell that that knock hadn't been good news.

His mother had opened manor's doors, a smile on her face as she greeted the two Aurors, recognizing them as part of her husband's squad. The female Auror had greeted her back, weakly smiling. Her partner had merely looked at the door uncomfortable with being the bearer of bad news.

Harry had seen the moment when Lily was told about James' death. It was as if all the light was sucked out of her- her smile wavered, and then fell. She faltered, almost falling. She frantically asked the Aurors for more information, and repeatedly denied that James could have died. Her words had fallen on sympathetic ears as the Aurors excused themselves, leaving her to mourn.

It was after the Aurors left when Lily truly began to grieve. She had sobbed out Harry's name, causing the child to come running to her, knowing something bad had happened. She had embraced Harry, tears streaming down her face.

"James is dead. He's dead. No, he can't be…" she had repeatedly murmured. And with that, Harry knew his father was never going to come back.

A flash from the Floo and a swear word later, Sirius was there. He had taken one look at Harry and Lily and embraced both of them. "I'm sorry, Lily. Merlin, I'm so so sorry," he had whispered, voice choking with emotion. Harry had merely cried harder, clinging onto his godfather, who was one of the few remaining links to his father in his life.

()()()()

Harry was 9 years old when he discovered who his father's murderers were.

He was enjoying a day at Black Manor with Draco, whom he had met a few years ago and instantly hit off with. Draco, who was the same age as Harry, was Harry's best friend. They were rarely apart from each other and preferred to do everything together. There were times, Harry had to admit, where the blond Malfoy heir was truly an irritating git, but those times were few and his friendship was treasured.

Sirius had told them to entertain themselves in some way or another while he held a meeting with a few old friends. The two boys had immediately set off for the Quidditch Pitch outside, stopping briefly to get their brooms. It was after an hour and a half of tossing a Quaffle around and doing various tricks in the air when the two boys decided to head back inside for a break.

Hearing raised voices from the room where Sirius frequently entertained his guests, Harry and Draco decided to investigate, after a whispered conversation revolving around whether it was worth it to eavesdrop.

They crept close to the room, ears pressed to the door. "…The Ministry hasn't been happy recently," a man's voice said. Harry, after a few seconds, recognized the voice as Dawlish's, an Auror friend of Sirius.

"What's happened now to cause the Ministry to have its knickers in a twist?" came Sirius' answer. Harry could almost hear the smirk on his godfather's face.

"The Order has been stirring up trouble again. Just last night, a few of them broke into the Records Department," replied Dawlish.

"Buggers never stop, do they?" the third man commented. Harry frowned, not recognizing the man's voice. "What'd they do this time?"

"They broke in, Stunned the Auror guards at the entrance and exit, and took a few files apparently," Dawlish said. "We weren't told what exactly they took, but Crouch wasn't too happy."

"Crouch's never happy. I told you, he's always had a stick up his arse," the unknown man put in.

Dawlish and Sirius both snorted. "That may be true, but whatever worries Crouch must be bad," Sirius said. "Trust the Order to do something like this. At least no one was killed this time."

Harry could imagine Dawlish wincing as the man asked, "You're thinking of James again, aren't you Sirius?"

There was a brief pause, and both boys leaned a bit closer to the door.

"I never stop thinking about him," Sirius quietly replied. "He should have never died. He was a good man, he didn't deserve it."

"They don't care who's what, Sirius. All they bloody do is murder good men and women," the unknown man spat.

Another pause, shorter than the last, occurred.

"Does Harry know?" Dawlish questioned suddenly. At the mention of his name, Harry turned to Draco, who cocked an eyebrow at him in question. Harry shook his head, feeling confused about what Dawlish was asking.

"Know what, Dawlish?" Sirius responded.

"Does the boy know who killed James?" Dawlish asked.

Sirius sighed, his joyful mood long gone. "He doesn't, and I pray that he never finds out."

"Don't you ever think he might want to know? Hell, he might even be a target of the Order one day," the unknown man put in.

"I know Harry," Sirius began. "And I know it would absolutely destroy him if he found out the Order was responsible for the death of his father. Now, my fellow gentlemen, I do believe you two have a meeting with our esteemed Minister right now, am I correct?" Harry's face paled and lost all of its colour, and Draco looked at him in concern.

Chairs moved and the occupants of the room stood up. "Unfortunately, you're correct. The old git wants to discuss something with us," Dawlish replied, yawning. "Better not be late. Knowing him, he'll find some way to demote us."

Goodbyes were muttered as the two Aurors flooed out. Draco began to move away from the door, stopping when he noticed that Harry had yet to move. "Um, Harry," he began, his voice lacking his usual mocking drawl. "We need to go before Sirius catches us eavesdropping. We look mighty guilty right now."

Harry didn't respond. A few seconds later, he blinked and began to slowly get up. "Come on, Harry. We have to hurry. I don't hear Sirius anymore. He's probably going to be coming out any time soon…" Draco's voice died off and he gulped. The door had opened, and Sirius was not looking happy.

"Fancy seeing you here, cousin," Draco shakily smiled. "We'll be going now…"

"I don't think so," Sirius responded, his face blank. The only hint of his anger at the boys was the faint tightness of his voice as he gestured inside the room his guests had just vacated. "Come inside, both of you. We need to talk."

"Bugger."

The three of them sat in chairs around the circular table. "How much did you hear?" Sirius questioned, looking at the two boys. "And don't give my any of your usual bull, Draco."

"We heard enough," Draco said evasively. He continued after seeing the look on Sirius' face. "We heard the part about the Order until when they left."

Sirius sighed, leaning back into his chair and closing his eyes for a moment. "I was going to wait another year to talk to you two about this, but I guess I'll start now."

"Was it really the Order?" Harry asked suddenly, clutching the armrests of the chair so hard that his knuckles were white.

Sirius opened his eyes and glanced at Harry. There was a moment of silence, and Sirius turned his head to stare into the crackling fireplace.

"How much do you two know about the Order, the Serpents, and the current government?" Sirius asked. "Tell me everything you know."

"Well," Draco drawled. "There was a massive war before we were born. There were two major factions fighting over the same issue- blood purity. One side, led by that muggle-lover Albus Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix members, preached that blood purity wasn't important and that muggles and muggleborns should be equals with purebloods." Here, Draco shuddered, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "As if mudbloods could ever be equal to purebloods.

Sirius gestured for Draco to continue. "On the other side, the more logical and superior side, was Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They championed the belief that purebloods were superior to mudbloods and that muggles were filth. They also believed that Magic is Might," Draco continued. "After many years of war and many battles, the Order suddenly retreated, leaving the Dark Lord victorious. The Dark Lord seized control of the Ministry, and now we live in essentially a prospering empire with our Emperor Riddle, or Lord Voldemort."

Sirius nodded. "That's the short, condensed version of the war. Bloody horrible, it was."

"Now, "Sirius started. "What do you two blighters know about the Serpents and the Order today?"

"The Serpents are an elite group tasked by Lord Voldemort to hunt down the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix and bring them to justice," Harry, who had until then been quiet, said, surprising both Sirius and Draco. He continued to speak. "They wear robes of dark green, and answer usually to Riddle alone. A good portion of the Serpents were former Death Eaters, and they're authorized to use Unforgivable Curses and other lethal curses on Order members."

"That's about it. Now, listen up," Sirius stated, looking seriously at both boys. "I-."

What he was about to say was cut off as Harry interrupted him. "Did those bastards really kill my father?" His voice was quiet, and he shook with barely suppressed anger.

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I'm sorry, Harry. It's true. I didn't want you to find out this early…"His voice trailed off, eyes focused on his godson.

"I'm joining as soon as I'm of age," Harry said suddenly, looking directly at Sirius, newfound determination replacing his anger. Sirius, caught off guard at the sudden change of expression, replied ever so eloquently. "Huh?"

"I'm joining the Serpents as soon as I get out of Hogwarts," Harry repeated. "And I'll hunt down every member of the Order until none remain."  
"I'll be there with you," Draco quietly said. "You won't be alone."

Sirius reacted to the boys' declarations as if he had been struck. "It would do you two good to be more cautious. Don't be too quick to decide your fate. I wanted to warn you, those who become Serpents grow twisted and corrupt. They're frankly dangerous, and I want you two to stay away from them."

"I don't care," retorted Harry. "They're better than the bloody Order, and they protect us from harm. Hell, Draco's father used to be a Serpent."

"He was one of the few who had honor. Harry…" Sirius started.  
"No, Sirius, my mind is made up. I'm applying as soon as I graduate from Hogwarts," Harry responded fiercely.

Sirius, seeing how nothing short of an apocalypse could change his godson's determined mind, sighed wearily once more. "All right, there's nothing I can do to change your mind, I suspect. You're as stubborn as James was. But, I want you to promise me something. Both of you. Whatever happens, I don't want you two to deliberately seek out any Serpent member until you become of age. It's for your own protection. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"We won't do anything stupid, Sirius. Honestly, who do you think we are?" Draco said, stretching.

"Promise me," Sirius said sternly, eyes devoid of his usual cheer.

"We promise to never approach Serpent members until we're of age," Harry vowed, seeing how serious his godfather was. Draco rolled his eyes in irritation, but nonetheless promised. Sirius stood, his usual cheer coming back, a grin plastered on his face. "Now let's leave this gloom behind us. Who's up to a round of Quidditch?" None of them knew that the promises made by the two boys would be broken soon, and a seemingly perfect life would be shattered forever.

 **Please review; Chapter 2 will be out tomorrow.**


	3. Chapter 2: An Incident in Diagon Alley

**AN: Chapter Two's finally here... Enjoy.**

 **AN2: Please expect the length of chapters to increase to 5k-10k as I get further into the story. The first few chapters are generally an introduction to what's going on and sets up the plot. Expect updates almost daily until mid-August.**

"Harry!" His mother's voice came from the bottom of the staircase. "Draco will be here in five minutes."  
Lily Potter, formerly known as Lily Evans, rushed to her 10 (almost 11) year old son's room. She paused at the doorway of the room and found him dressed in a set of dark blue robes with silver trim, critically eyeing his reflection in the mirror. She smiled fondly, noticing that his jet black hair was unmanageable as always, messy as though he had just stepped off of a broomstick.

It had been five years since her valiant husband's death (She was told he had never stopped fighting, trying to give his Auror squad time to escape from the ill-fated mission), and Lily Potter would be a foolish woman if she didn't admit that she still occasionally shed some tears for him. It was getting easier to cope as more time passed by, she reflected, but harder at the same time. As Harry grew older, he reminded her more and more of James, in his mannerisms and behavior and also his appearance.

James had always loved Quidditch, loving the thrill of flying in the air, and his son wasn't any different. Seeing Harry's hair looking like he had just stepped off of a broomstick brought forth memories of a black haired, bespectacled boy with mischievous hazel eyes tossing around a Quaffle with his best friends in front of a large crowd.

Lily blinked once, snapping out of her reverie. She cleared her throat, and Harry jumped slightly in shock. He had been so engrossed in making sure that he looked all right that he had not noticed his mother standing in the doorway of his room. "Mum," he said sheepishly, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Is it time to leave now?" he asked.

Lily stifled a laugh at her son's expense. "Like I said, Draco will be here soon. Let's head downstairs. Sirius is in the kitchen waiting for you."

Harry had been told the plan for that day before he had gone to bed the previous night. He would wake up, quickly dress and eat, and wait for Sirius to arrive. Sirius had given in to his godson's demands and had agreed to take said godson on a trip to Diagon Alley with a few friends: Draco, Theo, and Neville. They would spend a good part of the day there, eating lunch at one of the many restaurants, and head back to Potter Manor in the afternoon, where they'd play a round or two of Quidditch before calling it a day.

Hearing his mum's words, Harry headed down the stairs rapidly, almost tripping once. He smoothened out his robes once more, and entered the kitchen, where he found Sirius lazily sitting in one of the comfortable chairs around the kitchen table.

"Morning, pup. Are you ready?" Sirius asked, catching sight of his godson. He reached forward and affectionately ruffled Harry's hair, causing a series of protests from the boy.

"Of course. I take it Draco isn't here yet," Harry began to say. He stopped talking as soon as he heard a flash from the entrance hall, where their Floo was located. Walking briskly, he caught sight of Draco straightening his robes and brushing off the soot from travelling via Floo off of his immaculate robes.

"Harry, cousin," Draco greeted, nodding once to both Harry and Sirius. "I do believe Theo is right behind me, and Neville should be here any minute now."

A flash of green light later, a coughing Theodore Nott came out of the Floo. Harry and Draco snickered at the boy, who evidently disliked travelling via Floo. Theo, as he was called by his friends, was taller than Harry, with dark brown eyes and brown hair framing a thin, aristocratic face. Harry had met the boy at one of the Malfoy's many dinner parties, and the pair had become close friends soon after. It helped that Draco had known Theodore for a while, and considered Theo to be a good friend. Theo glared at both of his friends until Neville arrived, who fell and stumbled to his feet after coming out of the Floo.

The last member of the group, Neville Longbottom, was not a remarkable boy by any standard at first glance. He was slightly chubby, and still had not lost the baby fat on his cheeks. To many people he did not know, he stuttered and was generally a very shy and introverted boy. Madame Longbottom, his grandmother, had one day decided to pay a visit to Lily at Potter Manor and had brought Neville over to introduce him to the Potters. After a few minutes of awkward conversation, in which Neville had shyly introduced himself, the two boys had proceeded to play a few rounds of Exploding Snap. The awkwardness of a rather dull introduction soon faded, and the boys found themselves having many things in common with each other.

Neville, like Harry, had lost his father to the Order of the Phoenix. However, Neville had also lost his mother. Both parents had reportedly died defending their son during an attack by the Order on Longbottom Manor. Neville had grown up parentless under the stern guidance of his grandmother, a rather formidable woman. He had had very few opportunities to make friends with children his age, and embraced the offer of friendship from Harry.

"All four of you are here. Now then, let's go," Sirius said. The four boys had agreed to first Floo to Potter Manor and then Floo once more to Diagon Alley. Together, they would roam the shops and streets of Diagon Alley with Sirius, who would keep an eye on them at all times.

A few minutes later, all five members of the group were exiting the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry turned back and waved at Tom the barkeeper, who waved back merrily. He then swore, as a sniggering Draco shoved him hard and almost succeeded in making him fall into a large puddle of water. Glaring balefully at his friend, Harry followed Sirius, who had taken the lead. He hoped Sirius had enough sense to head to where all four of the boys wanted to go first: the Quidditch store. Harry had recently read in the new edition of Quidditch Plays, a magazine for lovers of the wizarding sport, that the new line of Nimbus brooms had been released. For the past week, he had been giddy with excitement, desperately hoping for the chance to fly the new broom.

Sirius, perhaps sensing that his godson and his friends would probably curse him into oblivion if the Quidditch shop wasn't their first destination, stopped at the doorway of said shop. "Well, here we are," he waved a hand at the door. "You lot, do whatever you want. Don't leave the store without telling me."

And with that, he opened the door, and the boys entered, whispering fiercely in their excitement.

Harry immediately went to the front of the store, where the new Nimbus model was located in a pristine glass case. Draco was right behind him, and the blond pushed his way to the front of the crowd, gazing at the broomstick. The Malfoy Heir ignored the glares and murmurs he received from rudely pushing his way forward, choosing to focus all his attention on the broomstick.

It truly was magnificent, Harry thought. The handle of the broom was sleek and shiny, and a set of gold bands circled around the part of the broom where broom met handle. "It's the fastest broom on the market right now," Draco whispered, eyes still fixated on the broom.

"Reckon Sirius'll get you one? After all, it IS your birthday next week," commented Theo, who had followed both boys to the front of the store.

"I hope he does. I know I'll be asking Father for one," Draco said.

"To be honest, I've never understood what the deal is with these broomstick models, " Neville said, looking around the shop. "Aren't they basically the same?"

And with that, he had three horrified looks directed at him. "Not another bloody non-believer," Harry moaned. "I still can't believe Mum and her dislike for flying."

Theo rolled his eyes. "It's probably because of that time where you almost fell 100 feet above the ground. Moments like that tend to ruin flying for some people, especially mothers," he said sarcastically.

"It was Sirius' fault to begin with," Harry protested.

Draco snickered. "Isn't it always Sirius' fault?"

"What's my fault this time?" a new voice entered the conversation. The boys spun around to see Sirius walking towards them, a bag in either hand.

"Harry was blaming you for that time where he almost fell from a hundred feet in the air," Theo stated innocently, not looking at Harry.

"I was not!" Harry huffed indignantly. "Anyways, what did you buy?"

"Nice job changing the subject" Draco stage-whispered. His response was a cuff to the back of his head, courtesy of Harry.

"A few broom caring kits and a spare Quaffle," Sirius replied, casually taking out his wand and shrinking both bags. "Are you boys done admiring the latest broom?"

A few hours and many jokes later, the five of them were relaxing at an outdoor restaurant booth, finishing their lunch. A sudden commotion in the middle of the street in front of them brought all of them to their feet. Sirius was instantly on alert, eyes looking for danger and wand in his hand.

A wizard had his wand pointing at another wizard, a hate-filled expression on his face. The other wizard put his hands up in a show of surrender, and seemed to be pleading with his aggressor.

"Stay here, don't move. I'll be back." Sirius moved briskly towards the two wizards, wand in hand and pointing at the aggressor. Harry shared one brief look with the other three boys and bolted after Sirius. The other boys followed him, and they were careful to remain a few feet behind Sirius at all times.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, voice rough, glaring at the wizard who had his wand out.

"This mudblood," the wizard spat, never lowering his wand, "had the nerve to enter a restaurant, when it clearly said purebloods-only. Imagine! Blasphemy!"

"Avery, lower your wand. We can resolve this peacefully," Sirius stated calmly, looking at the enraged wizard.

Avery merely snarled. "The mudblood needs to learn his lesson. Diffindo!" The spell shot out of Avery's wand, zooming towards the unarmed muggleborn, who gazed at it fearfully, knowing that there wasn't enough time to draw his own wand and defend himself.

"Protego!" Sirius roared, causing a shimmering blue shield to appear in front of the muggleborn, absorbing Avery's spell and saving him from harm. Avery glared at Sirius, another spell on his lips. Before he could curse Sirius or the muggleborn, his eyes widened at something behind Sirius and he lowered his wand.

Sirius did a half-turn, still keeping one eye on Avery. Like Avery, he lowered his wand immediately after seeing what Avery had seen.

A Serpent, dressed in robes of dark green, was marching towards them, clearly investigating the source of the disturbance and spellfire. Another three Serpents followed behind him, boots stepping on the cobblestone street. The lead Serpent stopped right next to Sirius, eyes on Avery and the muggleborn.

"What's going on here?" His voice, rich and deep, asked. A slight frown marred his face, and his cold eyes seemed to be boring into the two wizards.

Avery took the first chance to speak. "This mudblood," he said, pointing at the muggle-born wizard. "This mudblood had the sheer audacity to enter that restaurant." Here, he vigorously gestured towards the restaurant he was talking about. "A restaurant that was clearly purebloods-only. He deserved to be punished for that slight. Needs to learn to respect his betters." Avery finished his accusation, turning to face the Serpent.

The Serpent merely raised an eyebrow at Avery, silent for a few seconds. He then gestured towards the muggle-born wizard. The three other Serpents approached the wizard and drew their wands, pointing them at the wizard.

The muggleborn paled, correctly interpreting a dangerous situation. "I didn't mean it, I swear!" he gabbled, words almost gibberish as he began to panic. "I wasn't paying attention. I won't do it again!"

One of the Serpents snarled. "Silence, mudblood. Come without fighting. You're under arrest." And with that, he conjured a pair of wizarding handcuffs.

"Hold on, here," Sirius interjected. "The man's apologized enough already. Let him go!" He pleaded with the lead Serpent, who shrugged.

"He should have known better," spat Avery, whose glee was apparent as he smirked at the unfortunate muggleborn.

"I have to agree," the lead Serpent responded. Turning back to the muggleborn, he asked, "Will you turn yourself in quietly, or do we have to do this the hard way?" Disdain for the wizard was present in his voice.

The muggleborn launched into another round of pleas. "I didn't mean it, please I swear. I have a family. I need to go back. Please don't. Please—." His outburst was cut off by the Serpent with the handcuffs, who kicked him hard. The muggleborn fell, gasping in pain. Tears began to run down his face, and he started screaming, his voice hysterical and rising in pitch.

"Bloody hell, subdue that piece of trash already," snapped the lead Serpent. His fellow Serpents handcuffed the muggleborn, who was desperately trying to get up on his feet. Another Serpent viciously backhanded the man, who fell again. The other two began hexing him, causing the man to scream again in pain. "Bugger deserves it," sneered one man.

"Please," the muggleborn whispered, looking at Sirius, blood running down the side of his face.

"STOP! Leave him the hell alone," shouted Sirius, anger evident at the unfair treatment of the muggleborn. He was stopped from doing anything by the lead Serpent, who shook his head. "It would be advisable that you do nothing to stop us, Lord Black, unless you want to end up like him." He jerked his head towards the muggleborn.

"Stun him and let's go," the Serpent ordered. The others quickly Stunned the man and disapparated with him.

"Let this be a lesson to all mudbloods. Know your place in our world, and know your betters," the Serpent said before disapparating, the loud crack of Apparation echoing after him.

Gradually, bystanders began to leave, murmuring about the events that had taken place. Avery sneered once more at Sirius and disapparated. The four boys rushed to Sirius' side.

"Bloody hell," Theo summed up. Sirius shook his head vigorously. "That shouldn't have happened. That wasn't justice," he quietly claimed.

"It was only a mudblood," Draco said. "We should go."

Sirius looked into the distance for a long moment. "Call them muggleborns, Draco. You don't have to be so vicious. Merlin knows they already have to deal with the shit Serpents and the other bigots give them."

Draco opened his mouth to reply but closed it. He could tell Sirius was in a bad mood.

"Come on boys," Sirius said, gazing at the spot where the Serpents had been. "Let's get out of here."

Lily Potter wasn't happy. Correction, she was pissed.

"YOU DID WHAT!" Lily's furious voice shouted. Sirius merely winced, choosing not to reply. They had returned to Potter Manor, and Lily could tell something bad had happened as soon as she saw their faces. Harry and Neville had had troubled expressions, while Draco, having not been too affected by the scene, had been his usual snarky self. Sirius and Theo had had carefully blank expressions plastered on their faces.

Neville had Floo'd back to Longbottom Manor almost immediately, saying his goodbyes and promising to meet up at Potter Manor again for Harry's birthday. Draco and Theo had Floo'd back to Malfoy Manor, where Theo would be spending the night.

Lily had immediately started interrogating Sirius on what had happened on their trip to Diagon Alley as soon as all the other boys left. Sirius had merely slumped into a nearby chair, and Harry had excused himself to his room, hoping to avoid being downstairs when his mum found out what happened.

Sure enough, after hearing Sirius explain what happened, Lily Potter was beyond angry.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE BOYS AWAY AND LEFT IMMEDIATELY, NOT STAND AROUND LETTING THEM WATCH!" she yelled at Sirius. To his credit, he merely met her furious gaze square on, before sighing and falling back into his seat.

"I couldn't let Avery treat that man like that," Sirius said softly. "It wasn't right."

Lily's expression softened, and she sighed resignedly. "I agree with you, Sirius. But you know these events occur far more often, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"But it's not bloody fair," Sirius growled.

"Sirius, look who you're talking to. I know it's frankly not fair. After all, I'm the muggleborn here. You're the pureblood. But we can't do anything right now, unless you want to get arrested or killed," Lily continued gently. "Think about Harry," she said when she saw Sirius was about to protest once again. "If something happens to either of us, he'll be ruined. Ever since James died, it's been only you and me. We need to survive for him."

"For Harry," Sirius echoed Lily's words.

"Another thing, Sirius. The main reason I blew up on you was because I didn't want Harry to see that type of corrupt cruelty present in our society today. I didn't want any of the children to see that."

"I'm sorry again," Sirius said. "You should have seen them. What scares me is that they didn't seem to realize how bad it was. Hell, I'm pretty sure they found it rather interesting. I know Draco, that twat, saw it as another form of pureblood supremacy. The others are used to seeing this type of bullshit."

Lily pressed her lips together. "Draco's different. You know his parents and they believe in the superiority of purebloods nonsense. Draco's devoted to them; he'll believe what they say and believe."

"He's still a pompous git," Sirius responded. "If he wasn't Harry's best friend, I would've never talked to Cissy or Lucius again, much less bloody befriend them."

Lily smiled. "They are rather hard to talk to, aren't they?"

"You have no idea," came the response. There was a short pause where neither talked; the only sound in the room was the soft crackling of the fireplace. "Hey Lily?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Yes, Sirius?" she replied.

"I- I don't really know how to describe how bloody terrified I was today," Sirius confessed. "When those Serpents pulled out their wands, I thought they were going to AK that poor man on the spot." He shuddered violently. "I don't know what exactly I was planning to do. I just kind of rushed in there."

Sirius closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "I thought I was going snap, Lily. I honestly thought I might have tried attacking those Serpents. The lead one saw it in my eyes, I think. He warned me not to do anything. If he hadn't… well let's just say I might have woken up in Azkaban."

Sirius opened his eyes to find Lily's brilliant green eyes staring at him. "It's a good thing you're still here then," she said softly. "If anything happened to you or Harry, I don't know what I'd do."

"I'd go bloody crazy or mad," Sirius cracked a weak grin. There was another pause. Lily spoke up again. "Well, at least none of you got hurt. That's the one good thing about this."

"Trust me, there wasn't a single good thing about that incident," Sirius muttered darkly.

"Well, at least you didn't end up dead or in Azkaban," Lily countered.

"Bloody hell, Lily," Sirius suddenly said. "You know what I just realized? If something happens to both of us, Harry's supposed to live with the Malfoys. They'll probably adopt him and everything." Sirius shuddered, looking faintly disgusted.

Lily snorted. "Let's hope that never happens. Although, Draco'll be delighted. Cissy too."

"Can you imagine the look on Lucius' face when he's forced to deal with two brats, one of them the son of a Marauder?" Sirius barked out a laugh.

"If I remember the last time they came over, Narcissa said they had their hands full with Draco alone," Lily replied.

"Bloody lunatics, they are," responded Sirius.

"Don't forget, you're actually related to them. Quite closely, too." Lily's voice was sugary sweet as she smirked at Sirius, who stuck his tongue out at her.

"To be fair, I do like Draco and Cissy," Sirius stated. "Lucius, however…" Here, Sirius made a rude gesture.

"He's that bad…" Lily began, stopping when she saw the doubtful expression on Sirius' face.

"He's a bloody wanker," Sirius retorted hotly.

"Sirius…"

"Say, Lily…Did I ever tell you about the time us Marauders made it our mission to prank Lucius?"

Lily immediately grew wary of the growing grin on Sirius' face. "Do I even want to know?" she asked, looking exasperated.

Sirius laughed. "It was in our fifth year. We snuck into their common room and used our wide knowledge of charms…."

 **Chapter 2 is done! Look forward to Chapter 3, which will be out tomorrow. In which the Potters (and Sirius) join the Malfoys on another trip to Diagon Alley in preparation for Hogwarts.**


	4. Chapter 3: Supplies and Confrontations

**AN: This is a bit of a filler chapter, as Harry and co get ready for Hogwarts. Expect chapter 4 to be out in approximately 12 hours.**

 **Also, the story truly starts in the next chapter, in which Harry and friends are off to a very different Hogwarts. Expect some surprises.**

Harry Potter had been a relatively happy child throughout the week. It had been his birthday on Tuesday, and there had been a large celebration at Potter Manor to celebrate. Lily and Sirius had spared no expense; the house had been completely covered in birthday decorations, Harry's favorites foods had been ordered, and he had been allowed to do anything he wanted the whole day.

He sniggered loudly, remembering his mum incensed reaction at Sirius after the latter had charmed the cutlery to dance and run around the house.

All of his good friends had been there, and it had been a perfect day. Many rounds of Quidditch were played, and Harry won the small Snitch catching competition they had had. The rest of the day had been spent playing various wizarding games, eating, talking, and just enjoying the presence of friends and the festive mood. He had received many presents, all of which he appreciated. Best of all, his grinning godfather had presented him a wrapped present in the form of the new Nimbus 2000 broomstick, which he had bought for Harry the previous day. They had went outside for a trial run of the new broomstick, and Harry was amazed at how fast the Nimbus 2000 was. Even Draco, who could normally criticize anything, could not find anything bad about the broomstick.

Two days ago, his already happy mood had increased immensely when a tawny owl had arrived at the manor during breakfast, pecking on the glass window. The owl had been carrying a rather important letter: Harry's Hogwarts letter. Excited by knowing he had been accepted into Hogwarts, Harry had immediately Floo'd to Black Manor, where he had dashed up the stairs and ran into Sirius' bedroom. Needless to say, he had forgotten that it was only 8 o'clock, and that Sirius usually never woke before eleven. His godfather, while initially irritated at being woken up so early, had been as ecstatic as Harry had been when he found out what Harry had received.

Today, Harry was headed for Diagon Alley with the Malfoys, Sirius, and his mum. They would be shopping for Harry's and Draco's school supplies, since both of them had received their letters days prior and needed to purchase the necessary materials.

Harry stepped out of his room and made his way downstairs, where he found Sirius pacing around the entrance hall, evidently waiting for Harry. "Sirius," Harry grinned at his godfather. His grin was returned by Sirius, who chose that moment to walk over to Harry and affectionately ruffle his messy hair.

Lily Potter soon joined the pair, and all three of them Floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron. They had arranged to meet the Malfoys in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour at exactly 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The two Potters and Sirius arrived there a minute early, and the Malfoys arrived exactly at one.

After all greetings had been made, it was decided that Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions would be their first stop (Both families had more than enough gold, which made Gringotts an unnecessary stop for the day). Draco and Harry had both been measured by Malkin's assistant and a magic measuring tape, complaining about the time it took to be measured and how uncomfortable they were. Both boys were measured within 10 minutes, and their robes were ordered not long after that, to both boys' relief. Harry had not enjoyed standing as still as possible for ten long minutes, and as a result had begun to fidget within five minutes, causing the shop assistant to gently chastise him for moving.

After getting their robes, it was agreed upon that Lucius and Sirius would take the boys to get their Potions supplies and then their wands, while Lily and Narcissa would purchase their books and stationary supplies from Flourish and Blotts and a stationary selling store called Scribbulus Writing Instruments. The two parties would then meet up again in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour at around 3 o'clock.

"Stop your childish displays of behaviour at once!" Lucius snapped, his mouth pressed into a frown of disdain. Harry and Draco, who had briefly been engaged in a small shoving match, immediately, upon hearing the Malfoy patriarch's voice, stopped their horse playing. For the next minute and a half, both boys had walked slowly, with their heads high and slightly sneering, as they tried to crudely imitate Lucius. However, as soon as they had caught each other's eye, both boys had simultaneously burst into laughter, increasing the Malfoy Lord's ever-growing ire.

They had been walking for a few minutes when they reached their destination: Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, where they would buy their needed potions ingredients for the year. Lucius, fed up with the antics of his heir and his friend, stormed into the apothecary, briefly stopping to tell the two boys to stay put and not cause any type of disturbance. A protesting Sirius was virtually dragged deeper into the store by Lucius, who waspishly told him to find and purchase Harry's supplies, while he did the same for Draco. When Sirius protested yet again, Lucius merely raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the Potter and Malfoy heirs, who were snickering around a bin of who-knows-what. "Do you think they'll be doing anything productive for the next hour?" Lucius had inquired drily. Sirius had reluctantly agreed, and both men had set off to purchase the necessary potions ingredients and supplies.

A long half-hour later (In which Harry had narrowly avoided falling into a bin of dragon hearts after being tripped by a smirking Draco), the party of four left the apothecary and headed to Ollivanders.

"Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.," read Draco as he glanced at the inscription outside of the wand maker's shop. "Merlin, that's older than even Sirius!" Both boys snickered at Draco's joke as Sirius, who had overheard them, glared. Lucius, who had had to endure a full hour of the boys' jokes and stunts and Sirius being his normal childish self, strode past his son without a word and entered the shop.

The shop was narrow and shabby, with numerous shelves carrying many wand cases situated around the shop. Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste at the shabbiness of the shop, muttering to himself. "Creepy bugger," he had said to Harry, who grinned at his friend. Lucius wore his normal expression of polite disdain, but his lips twitched slightly at Draco's words.

Ollivander had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and had introduced himself in his usual mysterious way. Draco had volunteered first, and had received a 10 inch, Hawthorn, unicorn hair wand after a short period of time. It had taken Harry longer to receive a wand, eventually ending up with a holly and phoenix wand. Ollivander had commented that he was surprised that that particular wand had chosen Harry; the only other wand with a phoenix feather core belonged to none other than Emperor Riddle himself. Biding Ollivander goodbye, they had exited the shop, blinking as their eyes were exposed to the sudden brightness of being outside.

Lily and Narcissa had already been waiting for them when the four men arrived at the ice cream parlour. The two women had been sitting around a table chatting about their old days at Hogwarts. All six wizards and witches ordered ice cream, sitting down and enjoying the relaxing day.

Sirius led the two boys to their final destination of the day: Magical Menagerie, where he hoped Draco and Harry would be able to find and adopt their own pets. Lucius had departed shortly after everyone had met up at the ice cream parlour, saying he had business to conduct at Knockturn Alley. Narcissa and Lily had chosen to stay in the shade of their table at the ice cream parlour, chatting about various subjects. That had left Sirius, who had agreed to take the two boys to the pets shop.

"It bloody smells in here." The first observation that came out of Draco's mouth was coincidentally the loudest one, earning glares from the shopkeeper at the back of the shop and a teenage boy with red hair, who had been observing a tawny owl.

Harry had to agree, wrinkling his nose at the smell of so many animals in one place. He set off the owl section, dragging Draco along with him. Sirius elected to staying near the doorway of the menagerie, hands in the pockets of his expensive robes.

Harry ended up choosing a snow white owl as his pet, which he named Hedwig. Draco chose a fierce, sandy owl and had named it Ares, after the Greek god of war. Both paid for their respective pets and made to exit the shop.

As they exited the shop, Harry bumped into another red-haired boy, almost dropping Hedwig's cage. "What the hell, Harry," Draco complained, having bumped into Harry in turn.

"Ronald, are you okay? Dear, apologize to that young man this instant!" A woman, apparently the red haired boy's mother, scolded.

"All right, all right," Ronald grumbled. "Hello, my name's Ron. Sorry I bumped into you- I wasn't looking."

"That's obvious," Draco drawled, annoyed at the redhead for causing Harry to stumble.

Ron's face reddened, angered at the blonde's words and the way he had talked to Ron as if he was better than him. "Well, you don't have to be a git about it," Ron snapped, facing Draco.

"Ronald Weasley, that's enough," came the stern voice of another adult: a red haired male who seemed to be Ron's father. "Hello, my name's Arthur Weasley," he said warmly, approaching Sirius and sticking out his hand for Sirius to shake. "I see our boys have gotten off on the wrong foot, and I apologize for my son's actions and words."

"Sirius Black. Apology accepted," came Sirius' brisk answer. "And don't worry about Draco. He's a bit of a brat to begin with," the Black Head said easily, ignoring Draco's rather indignant glare and Harry's snigger of laughter.

Meanwhile, Harry and Draco were having their own conversation with Ron and his older brother Percy, who had been the redhead they had seen earlier in the pets shop. "I'm Harry Potter, and this is Draco Malfoy," Harry said, smiling politely at the two brothers.

"My name is Percy Weasley and this is my younger brother Ronald," came Percy's reply. Harry could tell that he wouldn't like the boy as soon as he heard the boy's pompous words. Unlike Draco, who merely snorted in disdain, Harry continued to smile at the two brothers, trying not to anger or offend anyone.

Unfortunately, Ron had heard Draco's snort of laughter and had taken it as an insult. "My father's told me about the Malfoys," he said, a sneer on his freckled face.

"Oh really," Draco drawled, raising an eyebrow in response. "What has your muggle-lover for a father told you about my family?"

His words seemed to offend the young Weasley even more, and Harry could see that his ears had reddened. "Your whole family consists of a bunch of pureblooded bigots," Ron spat. "I don't know what a person like Harry, the son of a famous Auror, is doing with the likes of you."

Harry grimaced, not liking how he was brought into the war of words between the Malfoy scion and the youngest male Weasley. He turned to Draco and pleadingly looked at him, hoping that Draco would understand that he was asking for him to stop insulting the Weasley Family.

Draco, having had his family insulted by a mere Weasley, who he viewed as no more than a common pauper, ignored Harry, contributing his share of insults against the Weasley clan. "You know, I knew you two were Weasleys before we were introduced," he said smirking. "After all, what other family has red hair, more kids than you can count, and is so poor they need to buy secondhand items for everything?"

Ron scowled in anger and he made to attack Draco. His brother Percy, seeing how close Ron was to snapping, restrained him. Percy also took offense at Draco's words, but was smart enough to realize that a fight with the heir of a prominent member of the Wizengamot in public view would not be the smartest decision.

The two Weasleys and the Malfoy settled for sneering at each other, and in Draco's case, sending contemptuous glances at the other side. Harry, not knowing exactly how to diffuse the situation, shuffled his feet and looked at the ground.

A few feet away, Sirius was engaged in conversation with Arthur and Molly, who had also introduced herself to the Black Lord. However, their conversation was also strained because of one reason: the Malfoy patriarch had decided to join in the conversation.

Lucius had, upon finishing his business at Knockturn Alley (which involved selling a few Dark artifacts to Borgin and Burkes and also buying a few rare potions ingredients that happened to be illegal), inquired as to where Draco was when he saw that Narcissa and Lily were the only ones at the ice cream parlour. Both ladies had informed him that the remaining men had set off for Magical Menagerie, and he had arrived there just in time to witness Ron Weasley crashing into Harry.

Lucius had recognized the Weasley family in an instant, and had grimaced briefly for having to meet with the, in his opinion, rather poor excuse for a wizarding family. In fact, he had briefly entertained the idea of leaving and heading back to the ice cream parlour to talk to his wife and Lily, but discarded the idea after realizing that Narcissa would not be too happy if he returned without Sirius and the two boys.

So, setting his facial features once again into his famous pureblood mask, he approached the group of adults. "Sirius, fancy seeing you out here," Lucius drawled. "I didn't know you knew such _wonderful_ families as the Weasleys." The stress Lucius put on the word wonderful showed his sarcastic comment for what it truly was: an insult.

Arthur Weasley evidently recognized the insult for what it was, as he tensed and looked the Malfoy Lord in the eye. "And I was not aware of the fact that Sirius Black and the Potters associated with the likes of you," the Weasley patriarch retorted.

The only visible response to his jab at Lucius was the slight raising of a blond eyebrow. "We all know which families are poor excuses for wizards, don't we Arthur?" Lucius sneered, his distaste for the red haired patriarch clear in his voice.

"Lucius, Arthur, I'm sure we can continue this rather interesting conversation another day," Sirius charmingly smiled, trying to avoid a fight breaking out between the Weasley patriarch and the Malfoy patriarch. "In fact, Lucius were supposed to be gone with the boys a while ago." Sirius lied convincingly. However, he was out of luck that day, as neither of the other two men were paying attention to him. "Lucius,.." Sirius began again.

"Sirius, kindly go supervise the boys," Lucius said, never looking away from Arthur. His tone invited no response, and Sirius, giving up on preventing any sort of fight, went over to the boys. The Weasley matriarch, who had entered the pets shop with a shorter girl, most likely her daughter, chose that moment to exit the shop.

If you asked Sirius later who had cracked first and which comment had caused that person to crack first, he wouldn't be able to tell you. All Sirius knew is that as soon as the two female Weasleys exited the shop, both Lucius and Arthur had pulled out their wands, both aimed at the other.

"Awww…fuck," Sirius whispered, knowing that there would be hell to pay from Lily and Narcissa if the situation, while admittedly out of hand already, got even more out of hand. For Merlin's sake, they were on a public street. Sirius walked over to the two men, standing close to Lucius. "Lucius, Arthur, I do believe that this discussion should continue another day. In fact, I really don't think you two would like the publicity of being seen dueling on a public street, would you?" Sirius stated firmly.

As Molly Weasley and her daughter walked over to Arthur's side, both men lowered their wands. "You're right, Sirius," Arthur agreed, politely nodding at the Head of the House of Black. He pocketed his wand and added, "Of course, it isn't like the Malfoys haven't experienced their fair share of scandals."

Lucius also lowered his wand. He narrowed his eyes at Arthur's last jab. "As if the Weasleys could sink any lower," he sniffed. Arthur's mouth pressed into a hard line, but he refused to rise to the bait. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Sirius," he called out, turning to his family. "We'll be leaving now."

"Likewise, Arthur," Sirius returned, grabbing Draco and Harry by the shoulders. "We'll also be heading back."

On the way back, the party of four stopped off at a small shop that sold quality cauldrons, which Sirius had forgotten the boys needed.

"I wasn't expecting Father to react that strongly to the Weasleys," Draco commented to Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I wasn't either. And, to be fair, you were also quite rude to Ron."

"He was a git," Draco responded, face twisting into his customary sneer at hearing the name of the youngest male Weasley. "First tripping you and then trying to insult the Malfoy family."

"It's not like you didn't deserve it, you prat," Harry returned, grabbing a rare potions book off of one of the small shop's shelves.

"I'll admit to nothing, and I'm certainly better than the Weasleys." Draco tossed his head back. "Father did say they were one of the poorest excuses for a wizarding family here in Britain."

"Indeed, Draco," Lucius' voice came as he approached the two boys. He beckoned for Harry to hand his chosen book to Sirius, who had elected to pay for the cauldrons and supplies. "The Weasleys, especially Arthur Weasley, are disgraces to wizarding Britain. They're purebloods, but the worst sort of purebloods you could encounter here."

"What do you mean, Uncle?" Harry asked.

"They're purebloods but they love anything muggle. When the war broke out, they were one of the loudest supporters of Albus Dumbledore. They believe that purebloods and mudbloods should be equal." Lucius had flew into a rant.

"And of course, they've got more children than they do Galleons," Draco commented. His father nodded his head in agreement. "That to, of course. So basically, they're the opposites of what proper purebloods are supposed to be. Needless to say, Draco, if you ever become like one of them, I will most likely disown you." The last sentence was added casually after a brief pause.

"Don't worry, father," Draco assured him. "I didn't even like Weasel number six when we met him today."

"He wasn't that bad," Harry spoke up, causing Lucius and Draco to look at him in surprise. "You did start it first, Draco."

"After he bloody crashed into you like some uneducated troll," Draco replied heatedly. "I don't understand why you're still defending that sorry prat."

"I'm not defending anyone." Harry hurried to reassure his best friend. "I'm just saying, you could have been a bit nicer." The only response he received was a sniff of derision.

"…And then there's ole Minnie, Head of Gryffindor House-"said Sirius, looking at the two boys with undisguised mirth shining in his gray eyes.

"Professor McGonagall to you both," interjected Lily sharply, glaring at Sirius, who looked innocently back, raising his hands in a clear gesture of surrender.

They were at Malfoy Manor, tired after a long afternoon of shopping for school supplies at Diagon Alley. Lucius and Narcissa had invited the Potters and Sirius to dinner, which they accepted. Now, the three Malfoys, two Potters, and Sirius were sitting in the Malfoy's living room, where they entertained close family friends. Seeing how Draco and Harry were about to head off to Hogwarts within a few short weeks, the four adults had decided, after a bit of pleading from the two boys, to entertain said boys with stories of their old Hogwarts days.

Sirius had amused them greatly by beginning to tell them about a massive prank they had pulled on everyone, including the professors. "Everyone had bright pink hair for a whole two days, and Potions couldn't be taught in the dungeons for a solid week," Sirius exclaimed, causing the two boys to snigger appreciatively.

"And then you and James and the rest of your merry band of Gryffindors lost a hundred points from Gryffindor and had detention until the end of term," Lucius drawled, smirking at Sirius.

Sirius scowled back. "Let's not forget who turned us in to Slughorn, shall we?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," was Lucius' innocent reply. The two boys stifled a laugh at the indignant and wounded expression on Sirius' face.

"Git," Sirius accused, pointing at Lucius, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"I do believe it is time for us to retire," Lily interrupted the conversation. "Thank you for having us over, Narcissa, Lucius." She stood up, watching as Harry and Sirius did the same.

The trio said their goodbyes and Floo'd back to Potter Manor. Harry, who had been about to excuse himself upstairs, was stopped by both Lily and Sirius. "Harry, we need to have a short talk with you," Sirius explained at Harry's confused expression. The three of them walked into the living room and sat down.

"You will be heading to Hogwarts within the month," Lily started, eyes fixed on her son, who nodded in agreement to her statement. "There's important things you should know."

"Those important things are pranks and secret passages?" Harry asked, grinning at Sirius. Lily frowned briefly at Sirius, who managed a sheepish grin.

"Harry, this is serious," said Sirius, who lived up to his name in that moment. Harry, seeing how serious his godfather and mother were being, widened his eyes slightly and nodded his head once more.

"Hogwarts might seem to be a safe, fun place, but it has been a long time since it was only those two things. Danger roams free now in the hallways, and you must always be on your guard," Sirius started, talking without pause. "Be careful of what you say in Hogwarts, Harry. Walls have ears, so never say anything important unless you're in a safe spot or have multiple silencing charms and other wards."

"Be cautious of the Headmaster," Lily put in. "Headmaster Carrow was given that position by Riddle himself, but he hardly deserves it."

"Another bigoted fucker," Sirius grumbled, ignoring Lily's glare at the obscene language. "Listen to what he says, and do it. Don't kid around him- he won't take the joke. And don't give any of them, especially the headmaster, any reason to doubt that you don't truly believe in pureblood supremacy, all right kiddo?"

Harry silently agreed and memorized what Sirius had said, knowing it to be important advice. "Anything else?"

"There's only a few teachers you can trust," Lily said. "Professors Flitwick and Snape are the ones you should go to if you have any trouble."

"Don't ever go to my slimey git of a brother," Sirius said. "He'll probably turn you in himself."

"I'm sure Regulus wouldn't do that," Lily retorted, holding up a placating hand at Sirius, who had been about to say something rather rude about his younger brother. "But nonetheless, you shouldn't trust him with anything."

"Yes, mum," Harry agreed obediently. "And Harry?" his godfather questioned.

"Yes, Sirius," was the reply.

"Remember your promise- don't go seeking out those blasted Serpents. There might be a few of them who stop by at Hogwarts to do something. Hell, my brother's a former serpent. Stay away from him too. I know I can't stop you after you're of age, but please don't do anything rash," Sirius pleaded.

Harry wholeheartedly agreed, having seen the cruelty the Serpents had displayed in the past. But, he silently thought, they're better than the Order. And I'll be joining them once I turn 17.

"Well, if this delightful discussion is over, I think I'll head back to Black Manor and crash a bit," Sirius said, yawning. "It's probably past my dear godson's bedtime, anyways," he added with a smirk. Harry, caught off guard with the subtle taunt, spluttered indignantly.

Another round of goodbyes were said, and Sirius left for his ancestral home.

That night, Harry fell asleep, dreaming of flashes of dark green chasing wizards and witches dressed in red and blue robes. A smile crept onto his face and stayed there until he woke.

 **Review and rate.**


	5. Chapter 4: Hogwarts

**Chapter 4 here. I promised it would be out within 12 hours, and here it is. The next chapter will be out around the same time tomorrow. Enjoy.**

One of these days, Harry vowed, he would kill Draco. Painfully.

The prat had been to Potter Manor the day before and had had the grand idea of nicking all of Harry's schoolbooks and hiding them around the manor. Harry had only found early this morning and had grown increasing furious at the blonde, who was no doubt smirking while waiting for Harry to arrive at Malfoy Manor.

The worst part of it, Harry thought sullenly, was that he had been unable to ask for any help from his mum or Sirius. The former would have been irritated at Harry for still not having his supplies packed and ready to leave-she had asked the day before, and Harry had innocently told her he was already ready to leave- and would have probably yelled at him for a bit. His godfather would have been no help either- he would have started roaring with laughter as he heard what Draco had done and would have gleefully told Lily what had happened.

"Harry, are you still not ready?" came his mother's exasperated voice. She and Sirius had been waiting for Harry for the past twenty minutes, and all they had heard were muffled curses and thuds as objects were dropped.

Yes, Harry thought, he would definitely kill Draco soon. And the best part was, he thought viciously, grabbing his Potions textbook from a high shelf in his room, nobody at Hogwarts would miss Draco if the blonde somehow managed to get himself killed. Draco truly was an arrogant ponce, and his friends widely agreed with that description. If Draco hadn't been one of the first few kids his age that he had met, Harry reflected, he would have probably hated the git on sight.

Harry sighed irritably, finally finished with packing everything he needed into his trunk. "Lampy!" he whispered. A loud pop signified the arrival of the Potter house elf. "Bring this downstairs, please," Harry commanded, gesturing at his trunk. "Yes Master Harry," the elf said before snapping his fingers, disappearing with the trunk in tow.

Harry walked downstairs quickly, knowing he was a bit late. "There you are," Sirius exclaimed, catching sight of his godson. "What took you so long?"

Harry scowled petulantly. "Draco decided to be a git today," he said simply, invoking a raised eyebrow from his mother and a snort of laughter from Sirius. "It wasn't my fault at all. Are we leaving now?"

"Yes, we'll be going to King's Cross Station instead of Malfoy Manor, and we'll meet the Malfoys in front of Platform 9 3/4," Lily answered, casting a quick tempus spell. "Let's go, we're already a bit late."

An hour later, Harry and Draco were on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. "Bloody hell, we're finally here," Draco said, glancing around. Harry just muttered a few uncomplimentary words to himself, still annoyed at Draco for his prank earlier that day. Once the Potter-Black party had arrived on Platform 9 ¾, Harry had immediately snuck up behind Draco and turned his hair bright red with a wave of his holly wand. Draco had accepted the prank as revenge for what he had done the previous day, calmly asking his mother to turn his hair back to its normal white-blond colour. "Let's choose a decent compartment now, I guess," the Malfoy heir said, choosing not to take offense at Harry's rude words.

Harry followed the Malfoy heir, who walked past the first few sets of compartments, finally stopping when he reached an empty compartment near the end of the train. "Here," Draco said, pushing the compartment door open. He swaggered inside, tossing his trunk carelessly aside. Harry entered after the blonde. "Do you think everyone else will be able to find us?" he asked. Draco shrugged carelessly. "It's their fault if they aren't able to."

Theo was the first one to find them, entering the compartment gracefully and nodding once to both Harry and Draco. He sat down next to Harry and across from Draco, pulling out an Introduction to Runes book. Blaise was next, entering silently and greeting the other three boys. "Hello all," he said, waving a hand in Harry's direction.

"Blaise," Harry greeted his Italian friend. If Harry was honest to himself, he both liked and disliked the Italian. Blaise was one of Draco's friends, and he was sarcastic, funny, and also intelligent. On the other hand, he was far too cunning for his own good, and he was a firm believer in pureblood supremacy. He frequently spoke to others with disdain evident in his voice, as if they were below him and not worthy of his attention.

There was a sudden commotion at the entrance of their compartment. Blaise stumbled and swore as Tracey pushed past him. "Hey Harry, Draco, Theo," she said brightly. The other boys snickered at Blaise's misfortune, and Daphne followed behind Tracey. After greeting the boys and promising to talk more later, Daphne and Tracey exited the compartment, intent on finding a few other friends.

Neville was the last one to arrive at the compartment, and he stopped to catch his breath after reaching said compartment. "Gran wanted me to talk to a few other families before I went on the express," he explained, sitting down next to Theo, who shifted left to make room for the other boy.

Soon, the boys heard the train whistle, and the wheels began to turn. They were off on the next great adventure.

XXXXX

The first hour or two went by relatively quickly. The boys amused themselves by playing a few rounds of Exploding Snap and Way of the Warlocks (A wizarding war board game). Theo quickly grew bored of the card and board games, and declined to play the 3rd round of Way of the Warlocks, choosing to instead read his Runes book.

The peaceful environment inside the compartment was disturbed when the compartment door slid open, revealing a girl with bushy brown hair and a tall redhead who Harry identified as Ron Weasley. "Do you guys mind if we sit here?" The girl didn't wait for an answer and walked into the compartment.

Harry immediately took a dislike to the girl. She had been quite rude, storming into their compartment like that. She hadn't even introduced herself or asked for their names before walking into their compartment. A cursory glance to his friends showed that they felt the same way. Draco looked at Harry, eyebrow raised in a silent question. Harry shrugged, feeling that the girl deserved what Draco was about to do.

"Excuse me," Draco said, eyes flinty. "Exactly who the hell do you think you are?" He scowled, looking at the girl. Theo and Harry stifled a laugh at how the girl looked outraged and offended at Draco's brusque tone. Blaise didn't even bother with being polite; he snorted loudly, causing the girl to huff in irritation and Ron, who was behind the girl, to redden.

"Well, I never," the girl began, stopping herself. "I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ronald Weasley. We're both first years. Who are you?"

Draco had opened his mouth again to deliver another snide comment, but Harry shook his head and elbowed him before he could do anything.

"I'm Harry Potter and this prat's Draco Malfoy," Harry introduced, pointing at himself and Draco. "We've met Ron at Diagon Alley a few weeks ago."

"Theodore Nott."

"Blaise Zabini."

"Neville Longbottom."

The other boys' introductions were short and clipped. There was an awkward pause as neither party knew exactly what to say. Theo broke the silence. "Say, I don't recognize the name Granger," Theo commented, tone deceptively light. "Are you a half-blood?"

"I'm muggleborn," she replied. Harry noticed that she seemed to be proud to have muggle parents. There was a hiss from Blaise. Neville glanced at Harry, both of them knowing that this wouldn't end well. "Figures," Draco muttered, eliciting a snicker from Blaise.

"Look," Draco started, composing himself. "We don't want the likes of you in our compartment, thank you very much. We'd appreciate if you kindly found yourselves a new compartment."

"What he's trying to say," Blaise smirked. "Is bugger off."

The girl's mouth opened and closed in anger. She began to say something, but Ron, who had been quiet so far, beat her to it. "Who do you think you are, Zabini?" He began furiously, face red. "I know who you lot are: junior Death Eaters and Serpents. Stuff your pureblood supremacy shit somewhere else. Let's go find another compartment, Hermione."

He whirled around, footsteps loud as he walked away, looking for a new compartment. Hermione began to say something but obviously thought better of it. Smiling weakly at Harry and Neville, who she realized hadn't been rude to her and Ron, she left, following Ron.

"Well, now that the trash is gone, care for another round of Exploding Snap?" Blaise asked. Harry just shook his head in exasperation.

XXXXXXX

His mum's and Sirius' descriptions of the Great Hall of Hogwarts didn't do it justice, Harry concluded, gazing around in wonder. Even Draco was amazed, and Harry knew his friend was hard to please. Harry turned his face upwards, looking at the enchanted ceiling of the castle.

"It's enchanted to look like the sky above. I read that in Hogwart's, A History," Granger whispered to Ron. Draco snorted but otherwise refrained from making a rude comment. She really was a know-it-all, Harry thought mildly, making a mental note to never sit next to her in any class they might share.

At the front of the Great Hall was the staff table, where Harry could see all members of the Hogwarts staff looking at the incoming first years. He spotted Headmaster Carrow, a sallow man with dark eyes and a permanent scowl on his face. Harry's eyes flickered to Carrow's left, where the man he knew as Severus Snape was seated. Snape, feeling someone's eyes on him, looked up, catching Harry's gaze. He sneered once at Harry, who looked away quickly.

There were four long tables for each house: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. The Gryffindors were boisterous, while the Slytherins sat much calmer, perfect images of what proper pureblood etiquette should look like. The Hufflepuffs wore robes of bright yellow, and the Ravenclaws wore blue robes. Harry was amused to see many Ravenclaws already reading their textbooks for the year, apparently eager to have a head start in their classes.

Walden MacNair, Hogwarts' Care of Magical Creatures instructor and the wizard who had led the first years into the castle, now spoke up. "You will be Sorted shortly. Focus on making yourselves presentable," he said gruffly. He left the contingent of first years, heading to the High Table, where he exchanged a few words with Carrow. MacNair picked up a long scroll and unraveled it, clearing his throat. The chatter that had been present in the Great Hall died down, and all eyes were on MacNair as he began to call out the names of the new first years in alphabetical order.

Harry tuned out most of the Sorting, not interested in where most of his fellow year mates were sorted. He absentmindedly clapped politely for each new Sorting. He cheered for Neville when the boy was sorted into Gryffindor and grinned at both Malfoy and Nott, who were both Sorted into Slytherin. Finally, his name was called, and he walked across the hall to the Sorting Hat.

"Who do we have here? Mr. Potter, you're quite the interesting individual," The Sorting hat murmured. Harry could hear its voice in his head and knew, from Sirius, that it was looking through his past memories in order to decide which House he should be Sorted into. "You're quite the walking set of contradictions, eh?" Harry frowned, not knowing what the hat meant. "You wish to join the leagues of the Serpents, yet you don't believe in blood purity. You seek to see the Order of the Phoenix defeated, yet you know nothing about them."

"They killed my father! I know enough," Harry snarled.

"Calm down, let's continue…Hmm… A decent mind, quick on the uptakes. You're not afraid of standing up for what's right, and you wish to protect your friends and family…A Gryffindor if I've ever seen one. What do you want, my boy? What do you wish to do in your life?" The sudden question from the Sorting Hat caught Harry off guard. "I want to become a Serpent and hunt down the Order," he thought.

The Sorting Hat seemingly sighed. "Then Gryffindor is not the house for you. I'll do my best to help you reach your goals. You don't value knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself; you only learn because it's useful. Ravenclaw won't be the house for you. Hufflepuff's out too…lazy you are not but being a hard worker is not your strongest skill. I see...I bid you good luck during your years here at Hogwarts and your life after, Mr. Potter. Better be…. SLYTHERIN!" The house finished its monologue, shouting out the last word for all to hear. The House of the Serpents politely clapped as Harry removed the Hat from his head. He smiled briefly and headed to the end of the Slytherin house table, where Theo and Draco were waiting with the rest of the first year Slytherins for him.

"Congratulations, Potter," the voice of Marcus Flint greeted him, his hand outstretched for a handshake. Harry shook his hand, smiling in gratitude. He ducked his head as more of the older students chimed in their congratulations.

Blaise was soon Sorted into Slytherin, and he walked across the hall and sat down at the table. Headmaster Carrow gave a short speech and, with a wave of his wand, platters of food appeared on each of the tables.

Harry looked around at his fellow year mates, who had begun to eat. Sitting to his left and right respectively were Draco and Theo. Blaise had sat himself in front of Harry, Daphne sat next to him, and Tracey sat next to Daphne. Pansy Parkinson, a girl who Harry rather disliked, sat in front of Draco, with Millicent Bulstrode sitting next to her. Crabbe and Goyle sat two seats down from their small group, eagerly stuffing their faces with food.

Out of the ten first year Slytherins, Harry only saw himself associating with Draco, Blaise, Theo, Daphne, and Tracey. He disliked Pansy, who had a face resembling a pug, for her extremely bigoted beliefs and her shrill voice. The only thing that Harry liked about Pansy was her obsession with Draco, which all of the boys in their year group, excluding Draco, thought was funny. In Harry's opinion, Crabbe and Goyle were useless, and they had little magical power and intelligence. Draco only kept them around for intimidation purposes and as lackeys that he could command at will.

Turning his mind to the people he actually liked, Harry absentmindedly chewed his food. Daphne was the perfect example of a proper pureblood lady, and he had had a crush on her at one point of his life. She was a perfect Slytherin, cunning, intelligent, and also very witty. Her best friend, Tracey, was almost the opposite of Daphne. Tracey Davis was a half-blooded witch with a Muggle father, and many wondered how she had become so close to the Greengrass heiress. She hid her intelligence and wittiness behind a mask and was often very sarcastic. Harry sometimes wondered if Tracey should have been Sorted into Gryffindor- she could be loud, and she wasn't afraid of standing up to the purebloods who believed she was below them.

"So, how are the classes overall?" Theo was asking Adrian Pucey and Graham Montague, both older Slytherins.

"They're all mostly all right," Adrian said neutrally. "Though, History of Magic is a bore."

"That's an understatement," Flint said, joining the conversation. "You lot will find that History of Magic is a free study hall."

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded and a bright light shone. Harry turned his head and looked behind him. A few Gryffindors were covered in blue and yellow glitter, with green hair. They were glaring at a pair of Gryffindor twins, who seemed to be Weasleys, based on their appearances.

"Annoying bastards at it again," commented Flint, eyes narrowed as he stared at the Weasley twins.

"Who are they?" Blaise asked drily, delicately tearing apart a pastry.

"Those are the infamous Weasley twins," Lucian Bole said, sneering in contempt. "They're the so-called best pranksters at Hogwarts and dedicate their free time to pranking others, even their own housemates. Really, they're just a bunch of nuisances."

"They're formidable nuisances though," Jasmine Fawcett, the 6th year female prefect, chimed in. "Just stay away from them and try not to draw attention to yourselves. They'll probably try and target you lot in a prank soon. They're biased against Slytherins," she warned.

"We'll be fine," Draco said confidently. "If anything bad happens, the House of Malfoy will put them back in their rightful place."

"At least he didn't mention his father this time," Blaise muttered to Harry, who snickered appreciatively. Draco pretended not to hear, and the Welcoming Feast continued. As the dessert gradually disappeared and students had eaten enough, the Headmaster stood, delivering a few words and dismissing them to their dormitories.

Harry and the rest of the Slytherin first years stood from the table and followed the prefects. They found themselves in the dungeons, and traveled until they were in front of a indistinct wall. "Salazar," the lead prefect intoned, and the wall swung open, revealing the Slytherin common room in all of its glory.

The common room had a warm atmosphere. A passageway that led to the dormitories was located next to a group of small tables used for studying. A large fireplace sat in the middle of the right wall, embers glowing white-hot. A bunch of chairs bereft of royalty were located in the far corner of the common room, occupied already by a group of older students. "That's where all the important older students sit," Draco whispered to Harry.

"First years, welcome to the Slytherin common room. This will be your home for the next seven years, and you'll need to prove yourselves worthy of staying here. First year dormitories are the closest to the entrance of a passageway. Once you get there, look for your names on the signs next to the doors. Now, we're waiting for Professor Snape, our head of house, to talk to you lot."

"Well said, Mr. Flint," came a silky voice as Severus Snape stepped into the common room. All heads turned to face him. Harry was surprised to see that all Slytherins stopped what they were doing, apparently waiting for their head of house to speak. Flint nodded his head respectively, and stood aside for Snape.

"Welcome to Slytherin, the house of the cunning and ambitious. Here, you must beware. Slytherin will help you reach your goals, but at a price. Those who seem to be your friends may not be who they seem. We are known for our subtle maneuvers and the ability to overcome any obstacle, no matter the difficulty. With that being said, there are several rules that you should do well to remember and follow." Here, the Potions Professor stopped, looking at each of the new first years. Some met his gaze square on, while most of them lowered their eyes instantly.

"As Slytherins, we are on our own. The other three houses despise us and hope that we fail. We must appear to be a united house at all times. If you have any sort of disagreement, no matter how petty, it shall be settled here, in the Slytherin common room, where we can avoid prying eyes. Always help a fellow Slytherin in public. Never instigate a fight or do something incredibly stupid in public. If you do, ensure that you are not caught. If you somehow manage to be caught, get yourself out of the situation."

"Each and every one of you will work and try your hardest to succeed. I expect the best of you, and if you need help, ask a prefect. I expect the best behaviour, the best marks, and the House cup this year."

The entrance to the Slytherin common room slid open once more, and a figure dressed in dark green robes entered the room. It had been quiet when Snape had delivered his speech, but now, the common room was completely silent.

The Serpent stared at the new first years for a long moment, making most of them fidget and stare at the ground uncomfortably, not willing to meet his eyes. In that moment, Harry did a very stupid thing: he raised his head and looked directly into the Serpent's eyes. Emerald eyes met gray eyes, and the Serpent smirked.

"Listen up, you lot," he began. "My name is Regulus Black, and I am the Hogwarts DADA Professor. If you have any major problems, you come to me after Snape. I am a former Slytherin, and I joined the Serpents even before I graduated from Hogwarts." Harry was surprised. He had known Sirius had a brother, but his name was never mentioned around Sirius, who grew angry at the very mention of his younger brother. Harry had also not known that the Serpents accepted or recruited anyone that had not yet graduated from Hogwarts. Professor Regulus Black, he decided, must have been an extraordinary and talented wizard. Harry looked at the Serpent with increasing respect.

"I'm here to talk to you new Slytherins about an important subject, and all of you must listen and obey. The older Slytherins already know about this, and now it's your turn. As you might have seen, there are still muggleborns being accepted into Hogwarts." Black's face was carefully neutral, but his words sparked many hisses of outrage from the Slytherins, including Draco and Blaise. "They were raised by muggles, but still possess magic, which is the sole reason they are here. Blood purity matters, but there are still many who believe that mudbloods are our equals. I don't expect you all to be their friends, but you are to treat them with cool indifference. Emperor Riddle has ordered this." Regulus made to leave, but then paused. "I congratulate all of you for becoming the newest members of Slytherin House, and now I bid you goodbye. Your schedules will be distributed to you tomorrow morning at breakfast. Do not be late."

The common room was silent until Regulus had left. Snape soon left after a final set of instructions.

The six Slytherin first year boys headed to their dormitory, Draco in the lead. The Malfoy heir opened the door, striding inside. There were three beds on each side of the room, and the showers were straight ahead. Each bed was made of a dark wood, with dark green and silver drapes and sheets. Draco claimed the bed closest to the showers, and Harry was quick to claim the bed next to Draco. Theo claimed opposite of Draco's bed, and Blaise claimed the bed opposite of Harry's bed. Crabbe and Goyle claimed the last two beds. Exhausted, all six Slytherins crawled into their respective beds and slept soundly.

XXXXXXXX

Harry's eyes snapped open, his internal clock telling him to get his arse up and get ready for the day. He blinked sleepily, yawning and stretching. His wand, which had been on the small desk next to his bed, was soon in his hand, and he cast a quick Tempus spell. It was 6:59 a.m. and Snape had said breakfast started at 7:30 sharp. Harry got out of bed, intent on being the first one in the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, all six boys were dressed and ready to start the day.

Marcus Flint met the first years in the common room and led them to the Great Hall for breakfast. While they were eating, Professor Snape handed a stack of schedules to Flint, who quickly passed them out to the eager first years.

"Oh, bloody hell," Draco moaned. "Why does our first lesson have to be History of bloody Magic?"

"At least it's not with the Gryffindors," Theo said, a piece of toast in his left hand and his schedule in his right. "The Ravenclaws are all right."

"Still…Binns'll be a bore," Draco grumbled.

"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Black after that," Harry noted, glancing at his schedule. "That should be interesting enough."

The first years gradually finished their breakfast and got up to go to their first class of the year. Fawcett led them to the classroom where the history class was taught, wishing them good luck and reassuring them that she would be there after the lesson to help them get to their next class.

The Slytherins entered the classroom, where they found almost all of the Ravenclaws already present.

"Not like it's that surprising," Blaise muttered under his breath.

An hour and a half later, they were waiting outside of the DADA classroom for Professor Black to open the door. The Slytherin first years had been laughing at a rather funny joke Blaise had cracked about Binns when they heard footsteps approaching them. They stopped laughing in time to see the Gryffindor first years approaching the classroom from the other side of the hallway, already glaring at the Slytherins in an attempt to continue the legendary Slytherin versus Gryffindor rivalry.

Harry could see Neville near the back of the group, seemingly distancing himself from the rest of the Gryffindors. Leading the group of Gryffindors was Ron Weasley, who sneered at the Slytherins as he approached. Harry could also make out Granger's bushy brown hair in the middle of the group.

Before anyone could utter a single word, the door to the DADA classroom flew open, and the first years froze.

"I don't have all day, you know," came Professor Black's impatient voice. The Slytherins quickly entered, and the Gryffindors wisely followed their lead.

Harry concluded that Professor Black was a practical man when he entered the classroom. There were no flamboyant decorations of any type. In fact, the classroom could be described as simple. Rows of desks faced the front of the room, where a large open area was. Professor Black's desk was in the far corner of the room, and Harry could see a stack of parchment and a few books neatly stacked there.

"Sit," Black commanded. Without a word, the first years sat down. Harry and the rest of the first year Slytherins, excluding Crabbe and Goyle, chose seats near the front. Neville sat down next to Harry, who grinned encouragingly at him. "As it is your first day of lessons, we'll be starting with something basic. Books and wands away please. You'll need nothing besides yourself today." Regulus paused for a moment, allowing his students to put away their supplies they had gotten out earlier.

"Before I start, I'll be setting down some rules. You'll address me as Professor Black or sir. My students will find that I value my time: If you aren't in this classroom by the time the lesson starts, you'll be locked out and gain a detention for your troubles. In addition, if I assign homework, I expect it to be done well and turned in on time. Failure to do so will result in detentions or a significant loss of house points." Regulus cleared his throat. "Now then, we'll be starting the school year off with a discussion." He waved his wand in the air, and there was suddenly a parchment on the desk of every first year. "Read the questions on the parchment that appeared on your desk. Our discussion will be based on those questions and your answers. Think carefully and prepare a well-worded answer. You have ten minutes. Begin."

Harry's eyes darted down the list of questions. He grinned, seeing what point Regulus was aiming to make with the discussion. Sirius and Regulus might not like each other (to put it mildly), Harry thought, but they do think the same way. Harry had heard Sirius lecture about the topic of Light versus Dark magic countless times.

The questions listed on the parchment paper included: What is "Light" Magic? Why is it considered Light? What is "Dark" Magic? Why is it considered Dark? What is the difference between the two? What are "Dark" creatures?...

"Time's up!" Regulus called, getting up from his seat and walking to the front of the classroom. "Someone tell me, what's light magic and what's dark magic?" Harry glanced around at the rest of the Slytherin first years. Most of them knew what this lesson was about and chose not to raise their hands that early into the class.

"Well?" Regulus prompted. Seeing how none of the Slytherins had their hands raised, he turned to the Gryffindor side of the room. Granger had her hand in the air, waving it around. Regulus raised an eyebrow at her, and she took it as a sign to answer his question. "Sir, most dark magic is banned by the Ministry because…" Harry tuned her rather long explanation out. Draco rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat in an effort to get comfortable.

Regulus had remained impassive throughout Granger's detailed explanation about light and dark magic. After another two minutes of Granger talking, Regulus held up a hand, motioning her to stop. "I want different opinions," he explained to her, seeing her distraught expression. "Anyone else?" An Irish boy on the Gryffindor side of the room raised his hand slowly, and Regulus gestured at him to speak. "Merlin, please let this be over quickly," he muttered, causing Harry and Draco to snigger.

After a few more explanations from the first years (the only Slytherin that had talked was Tracey, who had openly mocked Parvati Patil's explanation, which, Harry had to agree, had been overwhelmingly dull and pointless), Regulus called a stop. "Based on your…interesting responses," he said, putting a slight emphasis on the word interesting. "I can already tell that I have a lot of work to do this year. And that's putting it lightly."

"Mr. Nott!" Regulus called out suddenly.

"Yes Professor?" Theo said, not expecting to be called on.

"Name me a curse that is considered light and a curse that is considered dark," Regulus commanded.

"By the Ministry?" was Theo's cheeky reply. A faint smile appeared briefly on Regulus' face. "Of course."

"Well, sir, Expelliarmus, the disarming spell, is considered to be a Light spell, according to the Ministry records. A dark spell would be Fiendfyre, cursed fire that is hard to control and even harder to direct," Theo finished.

"Thank you, Theo. We'll come back to those two spells later. Now," Regulus said, clasping his hands together. "What if I told you that Light magic was the same as Dark magic? That there's no difference between the two?"

"I'd say you were mental," the Irish boy, who Harry later learned was Seamus Finnigan, muttered, causing laughter to erupt on the Gryffindor side of the room. Unfortunately, he wasn't quiet enough, and Regulus caught his comment. "10 points from Gryffindor, Mr. Finnigan, for insulting a professor and disturbing a lesson," Regulus said swiftly. "That's the crux of the matter- there is no light magic and there is no dark magic. It's all about intention. As any Serpent would say, there is only power—"

"And those too weak to seek it," Harry finished.

"Very good, Mr. Potter. 10 points to Slytherin. Can anybody explain what I meant by that statement? Mr. Zabini?"

"Of course, Professor," Blaise said lazily. "You won't mind if I explain by using examples, would you?"

"Go ahead, Mr. Zabini," was his response.

"It's all about the intention, like you said, Professor. For example, say I was in a duel with Draco here. I used Expelliarmus, except I wanted him seriously injured and overpowered the spell. That could cause serious injury, if he was flung into, let's say, a stone wall. On the other hand, Fiendfyre can be used to battle Inferi and also clear away obstacles that would've taken days to clear."

"A satisfactory explanation," Regulus nodded.

"But sir," Dean Thomas began. "I was told that there is a distinct difference between light and dark magic, and that dark magic is frowned upon."

"Then your information is incorrect," Draco put in smoothly, smirking past Thomas at Weasley, who had been whispering in Thomas' ear a minute ago.

"Mr. Malfoy is correct. I'd check the credibility of your source, Mr. Thomas," Regulus responded.

"But Professor, I read in a book that light magic is generally used to help people and dark magic can only cause destruction and hurt people," Hermione, who had been unable to stay silent, said.

"Miss. Granger, please prevent yourself from talking unless given permission. Books are not always true; they reflect the opinions of the author. I would prefer you to form your own opinions and listen to what your certified, competent, and experienced Defense instructor is telling you." Granger looked ready to object again, but refrained from doing so, not wanting to displease Regulus.

"Well, unless I'm mistaken, you lot are due to leave for lunch in the Great Hall in a minute," Regulus remarked, casting a Tempus spell. "Your homework is to research three spells classified by the Ministry as 'light' and list ways they could be used to harm or destroy. You must also research three spells classified by the Ministry as 'dark' and list ways they could be used to help people. I expect at least two feet of parchment and a closing conclusion at the end. Dismissed."

The first years filed out of the classroom quickly, eager to head to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry purposely packed his bag slowly, wanting a moment to talk to Professor Black in private. He told the other Slytherins not to wait for him, and they set off without him.

Soon, Harry was the last student in the classroom. Professor Black was seated at his desk, back facing Harry. Harry coughed awkwardly, and Regulus turned to face him. "Yes, Mr. Potter? Do you require something?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Harry shuffled his feet. Gathering his courage, he asked, "Will you tell me how you did it?"

"…I'm not following you, Mr. Potter," Regulus replied.

"How did you become a Serpent before you graduated from Hogwarts?" Harry blurted out his question, which had bothered him ever since Regulus' revelation the night before.

"And why would you want to know? For the matter, why would I tell you?"

Harry, who had not expected such a brusque reply, fumbled for a response that Regulus would have found acceptable. "I've dreamed my whole life about it," he admitted. "I want to join the Serpents as soon as possible. I wasn't aware until last night that they accepted anyone not of age."

Regulus studied him carefully, and Harry felt as if he was slowly being dissected and broken down. "What drives you?"

"Er…what?" Harry replied, confused on what Regulus was asking.

"Why do you, a mere boy, want to become a Serpent? You say you've dreamed about it your whole life. What's your motive?" Harry noticed that Regulus' voice had grown increasingly colder with every question.

"I want to see the Order fall and burn," Harry said, looking Regulus in the eye.

"Again, why is that?"

"They killed my father," Harry almost snarled, frustrated at Regulus' seemingly endless tirade of questions.

"They killed hundreds of good wizards and witches," Regulus snapped sharply. "It is a pity that your father die but never forget that damn war cost the lives of hundreds more."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Regulus. "You arrogant brat, think of the big picture. Almost the whole population of wizarding Britain was affected by the war. Almost every single person lost a loved one in one battle or another. They all wanted revenge. Most of them were competent wizards or witches too. How are you, an eleven year old brat who barely knows anything, any different?" Regulus finished, his flinty eyes never wavering from Harry's face as he waited for a response.

"I-I'm not," Harry admitted, after struggling to find a suitable retort.

"Exactly," said Regulus. "So why should I help you?"

There was no answer from Harry. Dejected, the boy turned to walk out the door. He was stopped right outside of the doorway by a hand on his shoulder and turned back around to face Regulus.

"Look, I see a bit of myself in you right now," Regulus stated. "So I'll give you a chance. Prove to me that you're different- prove to me that you matter. In skill, intelligence, everything. If you do, I'll do my best to help you."

"How long do I have?" Harry winced at the sound of his voice, which had wavered for a split second.

"Until Yule," Regulus responded, closing the door in Harry's face.

XXXXXXXX

Theo was the first one to notice that something was wrong with Harry. It was inevitable, Harry mused, that someone wouldn't find out. And Theo had always been the most observant one in their group.

Harry had been quiet during lunch, eating quickly and answering questions with one-worded answers. His friends had dismissed his odd behaviour as a result of tiredness; it didn't help that they were too busy listening to tales of Quidditch glory from the upperclassmen.

Theo had started glancing ever so often at Harry during Transfiguration, which had been their first lesson after lunch had ended. Harry had, ironically, been saved from having to explain his sudden quiet mood by none other than Professor Augustus Rookwood, who demanded his students' full attention during his classes and encouraged his students to not talk but work. They had been tasked with transfiguring a match into a needle, which was laughably easy for Harry and the others. Harry and Draco had been taught almost the entire year's coursework of most classes by Sirius, Lily, Lucius, and Narcissa, who were all determined to give Harry and Draco a good head start and an advantage over the other students.

They hadn't had a class after Transfiguration that day. As a result, Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo had decided to get a head start on some of their homework from their three classes in the library,- Harry and Theo had decided to, and Draco and Blaise had reluctantly agreed- where they had found Granger and Neville already working. Granger had evidently decided to finish all her homework as soon as possible and had dragged Neville there in an attempt to make him do the same.

Neville, seeing a way to escape working on his Transfiguration essay, had jumped at the chance to join their group. Draco, Blaise, and Neville had started up a game of Wizarding Chess, with one person sitting out and watching while the other two played.

Harry had sat himself in a chair, taken out his book bag, and started on his DADA essay immediately, occasionally flipping through the pages of his textbook for more background information. Theo had sat in the chair next to Harry, quietly copying Harry's actions.

After an hour of homework (For Harry and Theo, that is), they all decided to return to the common room before dinner, cheerfully waving goodbye to Neville, who returned to Gryffindor Tower. Harry had left Theo, Draco, and Blaise in the common room and made for the dormitory under the guise of putting away his book bag. Theo had hastily muttered the same excuse and followed him.

It was inside the first year Slytherin dormitory where Theo finally confronted Harry. "I abandoned the other two idiots," Theo said with a grin, dumping his bag unceremoniously onto the ground next to his bed. His only reply was a grunt from Harry, who was sitting on his bed, looking down at his hands.

"What's going on?" Theo asked, frowning in worry. "And don't tell me it's nothing," he added when he saw Harry opening his mouth to answer. Harry closed his mouth and didn't respond.

"What happened in Defense, after we left and you stayed behind?" Theo asked, correctly guessing when Harry had become upset.

There was absolute silence for a long moment. "It was something Professor Black said," Harry admitted, still staring at his hands. Theo waited patiently for Harry to continue. "You know how, last night, he said he became a Serpent before graduating from Hogwarts?" Theo nodded, beginning to see where the conversation was headed. "I asked him how. He asked me why I wanted to become a Serpent so badly and really blew into me afterwards. He implied that I didn't really understand anything and that I wasn't different from everyone else." Here, Harry paused again. "He's giving me until Yule to basically prove him wrong."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" Theo asked cautiously, provoking a snort of derision from Harry.

"It might be, but how the bloody HELL am I supposed to prove that I'm worthy of becoming a Serpent. Black didn't exactly give me any helpful advice," Harry said with a scowl, badly wanting to hex his Defense instructor.

"What'd he do then?" Theo inquired.

"He slammed the door shut in my face," Harry said in a matter of fact tone. Theo winced.

"You'll figure something out, eventually," Theo tried reassuring the black-haired boy.

"Of course he will, we'll be helping him," Draco's voice carried into the room from where he stood at the entrance of their dorm, Blaise behind him.

Both Harry and Theo raised their heads, eyes widening in surprise. "How long have you two been listening in?" Harry questioned, voice deceptively neutral.

Blaise and Draco exchanged a glance. "Since the beginning, really," Blaise said. "We noticed you left, and we followed Theo after he left."

"Harry," Draco said slowly, causing Harry to look at the blonde. "We'll figure something else. Together. Don't worry."

"Of course we will. After all, he has me helping him," Blaise interjected, puffing out his chest pompously.

Harry smiled. "Prat," he accused, gesturing at Blaise, who bowed gracefully, causing the other boys to snigger.

"If this happy bonding time is over, let's go to dinner," Draco drawled. "I'm hungry." And with that, the four set off for the Great Hall, laughing and joking as if they hadn't had a care in the world.

Somewhere else in the castle, a gray-eyed man had a quill in hand, writing furiously. "Impulsive but has lots of courage…friends with Malfoy Heir…son of James Potter…" he muttered to himself. "Has great potential if manipulated correctly," he concluded, putting his quill down in satisfaction.

 **How's the story so far?**

 **Chapter 5 will be out tomorrow, in which the 1st Gryffindor-Slytherin potions class of the year occurs, Harry nearly crashes into the castle wall, and Blaise learns that he needs to work on his timing.**


	6. Chapter 5: Flying, Warnings, and Danger

**Enjoy.**

Harry's first two weeks of school had gone by quickly. He would have enjoyed them even more if he hadn't had a rather important problem to deal with: he still had no clue what Regulus wanted him to do to prove himself.

Not for the first time- or the last- that week, Harry silently cursed his DADA professor, imagining the smug grin that would most likely make an appearance on his face if Harry wasn't able to prove himself before Yule.

Yes, Harry concluded. Regulus Black was a prick.

Not for the first time, he thought about the similarities between the two Black brothers. Both were intelligent, powerful, and charismatic. And both were annoying as hell.

Harry stabbed his fork into his plate of roast beef, scowling. Blaise shot him an alarmed look. "Bloody hell Harry, what did that poor roast beef ever do to you?" Draco and Theo sniggered. Harry was not amused.

"Not now, Blaise," Harry muttered irritably. "Then, when?" was Blaise's cheeky reply.

"Oh cheer up, will you?" Draco said, elbowing Harry in the ribs. "We have Potions next with the Gryffindors," he added, smirking.

"That's not exactly a happy thought," Blaise retorted, taking a drink of his glass of pumpkin juice. "I thought you of all people would know by now that Gryffindors and Slytherins don't mix. It's like mixing milk and vinegar. Both are disgusting by themselves, but together they're even more horrid."

There was a moment where the other three boys just looked at each other, completely flummoxed. They then looked at Blaise, who was calmly cutting his roast beef into smaller pieces.

"Blaise," Draco began, voice serious. "I don't know where the hell you were going with that-" Here, he held up a hand at Blaise, who had been about to answer. "And I really don't want to know. Never try and make any type of analogy ever again."

"Oh come on," Blaise protested feebly. "It wasn't that bad."

"I think my ears started to bleed," Theo deadpanned, causing Harry to choke down a laugh.

Blaise narrowed his eyes at Theo. "Fine. It wasn't as bad as it couldn't have been."

"Not like it could get any worse," Harry ribbed.

"Was that a bet?"

"Bite me."

"Blaise, do us all a favour and shut the bloody hell up," Draco interrupted the Italian boy before he could verbalize a retort.

"…How much do I get paid?," Blaise said. "You know," he gestured, seeing Draco's confused expression. "For your favour. After all, nothing's ever free."

"You aren't even doing us the favour, you prat," Theo complained, fixing Blaise with a glare.

"Right…I'll shut up now then," Blaise yawned.

There were a few seconds of pure silence, which Harry blissfully enjoyed.

"This is harder than I thought. Can I have a pay raise?"

Three boys simultaneously groaned, and the remaining boy smirked.

XXXXX

Harry wasn't really sure what exactly he was expecting during his first ever potions class. Professor Severus Snape was respected across the school for his sheer knowledge and skills in potions, and nobody dared to cross him. Harry knew his mother viewed Snape as a close friend. Hell, she had told him to go to Snape if he had any sort of problems while at school.

On the other hand, Harry was sure Snape would be a git. Harry had never heard Sirius insult someone so badly in his entire life. It didn't take much to set Sirius off, Harry thought amusedly, and Sirius usually started practically spitting fire as soon as he heard Snape's name. While he had to admit that Sirius could be a little too dramatic, he was sure that Professor Snape had done little to endear himself to Harry's godfather.

To make matters even more complicated, Sirius had once pulled Harry aside for a brief conversation involving the rather bitter relationship between Snape and the Marauders, Sirius' and James' group of friends. He had rather bluntly informed Harry that Snape would most likely hate his guts as soon as they met, due to his physical appearance alone, which was strikingly similar to that of his father, who Snape had loathed with every fibre of his being.

The key to earning Severus Snape's respect was to remind the man more of his mother instead of his father. That was the conclusion Harry had made right before entering the potions classroom. The trip from the Great Hall to the dungeons, where the potions classroom was, had taken a good five minutes of fast walking, even with two shortcuts. Harry had used the time wisely, mentally preparing himself for the verbal abuse that was sure to be headed his way soon and vowing to put in his best efforts into whatever Snape had them do.

Snape wasn't inside the classroom when they entered; Harry remembered Sirius scathingly telling him that the Professor loved making a dramatic entrance every year. The Slytherins sat on the left side of the room, waiting for the Professor and the remaining students to arrive. Harry paired with Draco, Blaise paired with Theo, Daphne with Tracey, Crabbe with Goyle, and Pansy with Millicent.

The arrival of the Gryffindor first years was easy to hear. Unlike the Slytherins, who had entered almost silently, the Gryffindors entered the room laughing and talking loudly. They sat down on the right side of the classroom. Soon enough, the talking had died down as the first years waited for the Potions Master to arrive.

Professor Snape entered with a bang, shocking and scaring more than half of the class. His black robes billowed behind him as he walked, reminding Harry of a bat. Snape, without a wand in hand, lazily waved his hand in the air, causing the door to slam shut. Seeing how their escape route had been blocked, many a first year gulped in fear.

Snape paused for a brief moment, looking at his new class of first years, mouth pressed into a faint line of disdain. He met the emerald eyes of the son of his former nemesis, cursing when he remembered that the Potter scion was in the class.

Severus Snape was not an unreasonable man, contrary to popular opinion and the biased behaviour he had against Gryffindors. And when he had learned that Harry Potter would be attending his class, he had cursed his horrid luck. After a while of sheer contemplating, Severus decided that he would hold back any prior beliefs about the boy and wait until the first class had ended to make a judgement. That would, of course, require not snapping every few minutes at the boy who so cannily resembled his father. Snape would have to remain calm and collected while staring at the face of his former rival. In a way, Snape's bitter feuds with the Potter family had been ended with the untimely death of James Potter (he still bitterly hated Black, the immature bastard), but still. 7 years of hatred was hard to overcome in such a short period of time.

It's a good thing he has Lily's eyes, Snape had mused, or else I don't think I could ever think of him without remembering James Potter.

"I am Professor Snape, and…" The professor began to give his usual beginning of the year speech, in which he captured the attention of the whole class and proceeded to terrify most of them. Harry listened reverently, analyzing what Snape had said for any hidden meaning. Don't be a dunderhead, yeah I can do that, Harry thought to himself.

Suddenly, Harry noticed that the whole class was staring at him, including Snape. Draco nudged him. "Answer his question," he hissed.

Harry had no clue what Snape had asked him, so he settled for the most eloquent response he could think of at the moment. "Err..what?" Blaise snickered.

"I said, Potter, if you were actually paying any sort of attention, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry's mind was racing. He knew the answer to the question; it was at the tip of his tongue. "The Draught of Living Death, sir."

"Where would you look if I told you to find a bezoar?" The questions were right after another; Snape wasn't giving Harry any break.

"The Potions cupboard, sir," Harry replied cheekily, before noticing the glare on Snape's face. "Or the stomach of a goat," he added nonchalantly.

"What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" The last question temporarily stumped Harry, who remembered his mother lecturing about the plants. Unfortunately, he had tuned her out and had begun to daydream. Harry silently cursed himself for not paying attention.

He was forced to take a guess. "I don't believe there is a difference, Professor."

"Explain," came Snape's answer.

"They're the same plant, aren't they?"

"Are you asking me, or are you telling me, foolish boy?"

Harry winced reflexively. "I'm telling you, sir."

Snape simply stared at Harry for a moment, making Harry fidget uncomfortably, disliking it when people stared at him. "Passably, Mr. Potter," he concluded in a silky voice. "Everyone else, especially those who had no clue to what I was asking, make note of these questions and copy down the answers." There was a rustle of parchment, and quills appeared in the hands of the students, who immediately began to copy down what Snape had said.

The rest of the class passed by without Snape deliberately singling Harry out again. It was apparent that Harry had passed some sort of test, and he could tell that Snape was deliberately holding back many insults directed at his father.

The classroom was silent as students worked to make a simple boils potion cure. The silence was only punctuated ever so often by Snape, who sneered out withering comments about some of the rather dismal potion attempts by the Gryffindors. He praised the Slytherins who had created almost perfect attempts and ignored those who didn't, including Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione and Neville, who did not struggle from confidence issues and had Hermione to help him, were the only two Gryffindors to produce decent potions at the end of the class period.

Harry was proud of himself. He had managed to produce a more than passable boils potion. While better than average, it was still not perfect, and the boy made a mental note to start reviewing basic first year potions in preparation for the second class.

"Dismissed," Snape said coolly, not sparing any of the first years a glance. The muffled sounds of footsteps signified the first years leaving.

"That wasn't too bad, really," Theo commented, looking subtly at Harry, who shrugged. Harry had informed the three of them of his father's rather coloured history with Snape. The rest of the boys and Harry had expected much worse from the potions master, who might have seen tormenting Harry as a way of getting revenge on the late James Potter.

"Well, it could've been worse," Blaise remarked as they walked back to the common room.

"At least he doesn't hate you," Draco put in.

"Not that there's anything likeable about you to begin with," Blaise added, snickering when Harry glared at him.

XXXXX

The lesson he was supposed to learn was fairly simple to understand, Harry thought. After all, it had only been repeated about twenty times throughout Snape's long tirade. He, Harry Potter, was a foolish, rash, and unintelligent dunderhead.

He was in Professor Snape's office, who had yet to stop shouting at Harry. "Not even your father, ignorant man he was, could dream about doing such a remarkably idiotic stunt." Harry had a feeling that Snape was just warming up, and it had already been ten minutes. He really hoped Snape stopped and let him go before dinner.

Harry's mind wandered away from politely paying attention to his Potions Professor and to the events that had led up to being dragged off to said professor's office.

It was the day after the first Slytherin- Gryffindor potions class, and everyone (well, almost everyone) was excited because of one main reason: flying lessons started today. All of the wizarding raised children had been giddy with excitement and joy and the prospect of being able to finally fly again. All of the muggle raised students (with the exception of one Hermione Granger, who knew she would detest flying) were excited to discover that they would be learning how to ride a broomstick.

Some of the first years, including Draco and Ron Weasley, had begun bragging loudly about their flying adventures- Draco had boasted that he had almost flown right into a muggle airplane, which made the other Slytherins snigger. "Do you even know what one of those looks like?" Harry had asked innocently, causing Draco to give him the finger.

They had found the notice on the board in the Slytherin common room when they woke up that morning. During breakfast, the flying lessons had been the only discussion topic. Blaise had gleefully betted Draco that Granger or Finnigan would be the first one to fall or have any sort of accident during the lesson (they had learned that it was to be another Slytherin-Gryffindor class earlier). Thankfully, Blaise had been so distracted with the prospect of flying and the bet he had made with Draco that he forgot to make any sort of analogy about the flying lessons, much to the other boys' relief.

Now, they were sitting down in the Great Hall for lunch, after which were the flying lessons. Harry could barely eat anything, excited for the chance to fly. The other boys were the same, and they soon finished their meal, heading outside for their lesson with Madame Hooch.

The Slytherins hadn't been the first ones to arrive; when they arrived outside, the Gryffindors were already there, waiting for Hooch. Each group sneered at the other but largely kept to themselves. Of course, the silence wouldn't last, thought Harry mournfully, as he saw Draco and Blaise walking over to Weasley and his friends. Sighing, he made to follow them in a show of support and house loyalty. Harry and Theo would be the ones to take Draco and Blaise to the hospital wing if things turned sour.

"Weasel, mudblood, Neville," Draco said as a way of greeting, ignoring the hisses of outrage from the observing audience of Gryffindors. Ron's face turned pink at the insult, and Granger grabbed his arm before he could do anything rash. "He's just trying to get under your skin, Ron. Ignore him," she whispered.

"Ignore him, ignore him," Blaise mocked.

"Shut the hell up," Ron snapped. Draco's eyes narrowed, and he began to say something rude, before he was stopped by Neville. "Bugger off, Draco," Neville said quietly, avoiding his blond friend's surprised glance.

Draco, taken aback at Neville's sudden support for Granger and Ron, chose to simply sneer once more at the Gryffindors before walking back to the Slytherin group, Blaise and Harry following his lead.

Hooch chose that moment to appear, briskly ordering the first years to stand next to a broom. Harry immediately set off for the farthest broomsticks, noticing that most of them were of better quality than the first few broomsticks, which were closer. Once all the first years were standing patiently (or impatiently, depending on who you were talking about), Hooch told them to say 'Up,' and call their broomstick to their hand. Harry's broomstick immediately jumped into his hand, and he smiled.

"Mount your broomsticks, then," Hooch called before long. "Hover in the air, only…No no no, Miss Granger! Get down from there, immediately!" Hooch almost yelled. A panicked Hermione Granger had kicked off and flown too high. Seeing her instructor's brief moment of panic, Hermione had also panicked, causing her broomstick to swivel upwards. "I ca-can't stop," she shrieked.

Before Harry knew what he was doing, he had remounted his broom and kicked off into the air. "Mr. Potter!" Hooch yelled. "Get down here this instant!" Needless to say, Harry didn't listen. He zoomed towards Hermione, whose broom had begun to plummet down. She had her eyes closed and was whispering words under her breath, no doubt fearing crashing into the ground. Harry narrowed his eyes in concentration, urging his broom to dive down. "Lower…come on…," he muttered to himself, focused on Hermione's broom.

A split second before Hermione's broom hit the ground, Harry reached out and grabbed it, steadying it and stopping it from moving. Hermione had hesitantly opened her eyes, seeing who her saviour was for the rest time. "Potter?" she half whispered. Harry spared her a quick glance. "Are you alright?" he asked her. She nodded her head in reply, and Harry dismounted his broomstick, motioning for her to do the same.

A round of applause reached their ears, and they turned to see the remaining members of their flying class watching them. Hooch had a smile on her face, praising Harry's quick thinking and skill and then chastising him for not listening to her instructions. She then left for the hospital wing with Hermione, who was still a bit in shock.

"Nice save," commented Draco when Harry reached them. "You really shouldn't have though."

"Shut up, you berk," Neville snapped, walking towards the group of Slytherins. "Thank you for saving her, Harry," he said in a more pleasant tone, facing the bespectacled boy.

"What's it to you anyways, Neville?" Draco retorted.

"Look guys, you don't understand how it's been for me in Gryffindor. They call me the cowardly lion. I've spent my whole life with you lot, and I'm the only Gryffindor, while you guys are all Slytherins. You guys had each other. I had nobody," Neville said, eyes intense. "Hermione and Ron are my best friends in Gryffindor. Hell, they're my only friends. They don't care that I have more Slytherin friends than Gryffindors. That's why I hate it when you lot are prats to them."

"Neville—"Draco began. "Save it, Draco. Just leave them alone, and we'll be fine," Neville said, walking away from the group of Slytherins.

"Well, shit," Draco said as soon as Neville was out of earshot.

"To be fair, you had that coming a long time ago," Theo replied, feeling no mercy for Draco and his plight.

"Look, I agree with Neville," Harry began. "Granger and Weasley haven't done anything to us, and we've been right prats to them."

"Like hell," Draco exclaimed. "Have you forgotten our first day of Hogwarts and that time at Diagon Alley?"

"Look, I'm not saying we have to be nice and friendly to them, but we can at least be civil, for Neville's sake," Harry finished, looking serious. "Now, anyone fancy a little broom race?" he asked, trying to cheer up Draco.

"You're on Potter," Draco smirked.

"You can't be serious," Ron suddenly interrupted, having overheard the two Slytherins.

"Scared, Weasley?" Draco drawled.

"Hell no," Ron exclaimed, rashly grabbing his own broom. "Seamus and I will beat you two snakes." Finnigan nodded his head in agreement.

"It's on then. Me and Harry versus you and Finnigan," Draco declared. All four boys mounted their brooms.

"Why do I have the feeling that this won't end well?" Theo sighed.

"Because it probably won't," Blaise and Neville chorused, smirking at each other.

"You alright, mate?" Theo asked, looking at Neville, who nodded. "Draco was a bit of a git, but yeah, I'm fine."

"When is he ever not a git?" Blaise snorted.

Meanwhile, Draco and Harry were hovering in the air facing Ron and Seamus Finnigan. "All right, so let's go past the Whomping Willow and touch the window of that tower," Draco pointed at the tower he was talking about. "First one back wins for their team," he concluded. "Let's go!" he shouted gleefully, getting a head start on the other three first years, who swore and raced after him.

Harry felt exhilarated; flying had always been one of his favorite hobbies ever since he was a child. Now, he whooped in glee, urging his broomstick to move faster and faster.

Draco was the first of the four to reach the Whomping Willow. As a result, he had the easiest time passing it; the mighty tree was not expecting a racing broom to flash by. Harry, as the second one to reach the Willow, had no such luck. As soon as he flew within range, the Willow began to target him, swatting at him with its many thick branches.

"Bugger," Harry swore as he narrowly avoided yet another branch, which had been aiming for his head, sure to have given him at least a concussion if it had connected.

The four boys had no idea that they were being observed from the castle. Professor Regulus Black watched Harry's aerial maneuvers as the boy flew around the Whomping Willow, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

 _Yes, his flying skills are extraordinary, o brother of mine._ Regulus thought to himself, a faint sneer appearing on his face when he thought of Sirius. _You were right about something._

Once Harry had passed the Whomping Willow, racing to catch up to Draco, Professor Black walked away, stepping lightly on the cobblestone steps, heading back towards the dungeons.

Harry smirked triumphantly as he zoomed past Draco, knocking the other boy's hand down as he touched the window of the tower they had agreed was the finishing point of the race. The Malfoy scion scowled, not happy with losing. Harry's smirk grew larger as he raised his hand victoriously. His smirk soon disappeared as he caught sight of Professor Snape glaring at him through the window he had just touched. 'My office. Now,' Snape mouthed the words, his eyes darkening with barely suppressed fury.

"Fuck," was Harry's only response. Sighing at the hell he was about to receive, he flew downwards, dismounting his broomstick with ease. Draco winced sympathetically, grabbing Harry's broomstick and waiting for the two Gryffindors to arrive. Harry calmly walked back inside the castle, where he nervously stood outside of Snape's office, waiting for the professor to arrive.

As expected, Snape had shown Harry no mercy, choosing to launch into his furious tirade as soon as he had arrived. It was a good twenty minutes of non-stop yelling before Snape had chosen to let Harry go, sending him one last glare and threatening him with 'detention until your 7th year.'

Harry, relieved at finally escaping from his professor's wrath, walked, quite literally, into another nest of serpents.

"Mr. Potter, a word if you will." Regulus Black drawled, eyeing Harry in apparent disinterest.

"Sir," Harry responded. Regulus began walking down the corridor, motioning for Harry to follow him. Harry fell in line next to his professor.

"Excellent flying you did out there," Regulus complemented the first year.

"Sir?" Harry asked in surprise, not expecting praise from his cynical Defense instructor.

"I'll say this bluntly for your sake," Regulus continued, ignoring his young charge's half-question. "You can fly decently. The Slytherin Quidditch Team needs a seeker. Connect the dots."

Harry's eyes widened, not believing what exactly Regulus was hinting at. "Where are we going, Professor?"

"Finding Mr. Flint, who I do believe is in Charms right now."

Neither member of the pair talked during the remainder of their walk to Professor Flitwick's classroom. Regulus hadn't asked any more questions, choosing to walk in silence. Harry guessed that if he asked Regulus a question right there and then, he would have been ignored.

Professor Black knocked sharply on Flitwick's door, which opened a second later, revealing the face of the shorter professor. "Good afternoon, Filius." Regulus smiled pleasantly. "Would it be possible to excuse Mr. Flint from the remainder of your class?"

"Certainly!" Flitwick squeaked, turning back around to face his class. "Mr. Flint, Professor Black would like a word with you. You're dismissed for the remainder of the class." Flitwick disappeared from the doorway, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, soon appeared at the door. "You called, Professor?" he asked Regulus, head tilted in interest of what the DADA professor wanted.

"Yes, Mr. Flint. Follow me please. We'll be heading to the Quidditch Pitch with young Mr. Potter here." Here, Flint glanced curiously at the Potter scion, wondering why he was there. He asked no questions, knowing that Professor Black would explain in due time, and settled for following the Professor outside to the Quidditch Pitch, Harry trailing behind him.

"I believe you want an explanation, Mr. Flint, of why a Hogwarts instructor and a first year have lead you to the Quidditch Pitch." Marcus nodded his head cautiously.

"I'll be brief. I observed Mr. Potter flying outside, not too long ago. To be more precise, he was flying rings around the Whomping Willow and his fellow year mates. Now, I'm aware of the fact that the Slytherin Quidditch team requires a new and talented seeker. Mr. Potter here is a decent flier and seems to be a natural. Do you see where I'm going?" Flint nodded again. "Wonderful. Now, I'll leave you to show Harry how Quidditch is played here at Hogwarts and also to test him for yourself. Mr. Potter, I'd like a quick word in my office after Flint's done with you. If there's nothing more needed of me, I'll be taking my leave now." Regulus abruptly turned, striding back inside the castle.

"Well, Potter," Flint smirked. "Let's see how good of a flier you are. Get on your broom." And with that, Harry knew he was in for a rough ride.

It was a good hour or so before Flint had ended their practice, telling Harry that he would be required to attend the team practice on Thursday. "Play like you just did," Flint had said enthusiastically. "And you'll be our official Seeker from now on." Harry had accepted the praise with a tired smile, exhausted.

He was well on the way to the Slytherin common room where he groaned. He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to meet Professor Black after his Quidditch practice. Harry briefly entertained the idea of not meeting with Black and just going back to the common room and sleeping. It wasn't like the Defense instructor wouldn't deserve it, the prick, Harry thought snidely, still quite a bit cross at Black, who had rebuffed every single one of Harry's numerous attempts at asking what he had to do to prove himself worthy of becoming a Serpent. Dismissing the idea as one that would cause him significant pain later if he went through with it, Harry sighed, walking in the opposite direction towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

He found Regulus pacing inside, a frown on his face. Harry cleared his throat, and Regulus immediately smiled pleasantly, all traces of being troubled gone. "Professor," Harry greeted neutrally.

"Mr. Potter," Regulus responded, clearly imitating Harry's greeting. Harry gritted his teeth but nonetheless asked, "Did you need something, Professor?" Regulus lifted an eyebrow, hearing the faint mocking tone Harry was using.

"I just wanted to give you a warning, Mr. Potter. You are being watched; it was inevitable. You're the son of a famous Auror, and many will expect you to be at the top of your year." Regulus raised a hand, stopping Harry from saying anything. "You must never show weakness; there are those who would end you if they could. The war we fought came at a high price: Hogwarts is not as safe as it was before. I advise you to proceed with caution learn to observe before acting. There is no place for you as a rash, impulsive Gryffindor. Live as a proper Slytherin should," Regulus ended. "Dismissed," he said, not sparing Harry a glance, obviously wanting the boy to leave.

Harry took the hint and started to exit the classroom, stopping right outside of the doorway. "Professor?" he began cautiously. He received no answer but decided to continue. "Why are you doing all this? You've basically given me a position on the Quidditch team and have taken the time to give me a warning when other teachers wouldn't give a damn."

"My motives are my own," Regulus replied seriously, and Harry started to walk down the corridor back to the common room. He heard footsteps behind him as Regulus called out to him. "I look forward to your success, Mr. Potter," the professor said before closing the door to his classroom with a click.

XXXXX

Ironically, Harry hadn't been expecting the chance to prove his worth on Halloween (Or All Hallow's Eve, as many purebloods called it). Another two weeks had been spent quietly contemplating Regulus' words and practicing for Quidditch.

Harry had attended the Quidditch meeting with all of the other hopeful students trying out for the Seeker spot. He had had little competition and had easily gotten the spot (Draco had later complained that he should have been given the chance to try out too). Quidditch practices now took up three of his evenings, and he always returned to his dorm exhausted and tired.

The morning of Halloween, a special edition of the Daily Prophet had arrived. Harry had grabbed his copy with interest, having subscribed to the Daily Prophet during the summer months before he had arrived at Hogwarts. He had begun to browse through the newspaper, a spoonful of scrambled eggs in his mouth.

His peaceful breakfast had been disturbed by Draco, who had suddenly nudged him, trying to get his attention. "Bloody hell, turn to page 5," the blonde whispered, gray eyes fixed on his newspaper. Harry craned his head, trying to see what his friend was reading, but Draco raised his copy of the Prophet slightly so that Harry couldn't see anything. "Prat," Harry grumbled, turning back to his own copy and turning to page 5.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. The Order of the Phoenix had attacked the Ministry the night before. Six Serpents had been injured, and two had died. Ten Aurors had been injured, and three had died. The Ministry was being tight-lipped about the entire attack, and the article in the Prophet didn't mention why the Order had attacked.

On page 6, there were pictures of various known members of the Order, with information under each picture. "Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Remus Lupin…" Blaise read.

"Apparently, McGonagall used to teach Transfiguration here," Flint said. "She was a pretty decent teacher before she was revealed as a member of the Order."

"I heard Lupin's actually a werewolf. Dangerous, he is," Draco said.

Harry's eyes wandered to the last photograph. "Sturgis Podmore," Harry read. "Bloody hell, he's an Auror! I've seen Sirius talking to him before," Harry exclaimed.

"Was," Theo corrected. "It says he betrayed his Auror squad last night and publically joined the Order. Apparently he's been a spy for some time now."

Harry observed the man's photograph. Dark blond hair framed a thin face, and he had a grim look in his dark eyes.

Harry fought the urge to shudder. _After all, I shouldn't be scared of them,_ he thought _. I'll be hunting them down soon enough._

 _I don't even know which members took part in murdering Dad_ , Harry thought, scowling, looking through the pictures one last time. He glared at Sturgis Podmore's photograph for a long moment, looking into his cold blue eyes. _I hope I never see you when I'm older,_ he thought. _If I do, one of us will die, and it won't be me._

 _XXXXX_

The rest of the day passed by seemingly in the blink of an eye. Even Potions class hadn't interested him as much as it usually did, Harry mused as the Slytherins walked towards the Great Hall for dinner. The only interesting thing that had happened was the fight between Weasley and Granger right after the lesson had ended. From what Harry had been able to piece together from the things they had shouted at each other, Weasley thought Granger was acting like too much of a know-it-all and had rather tactlessly told her so in front of all of the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Granger, who had taken offense, had replied saying how at least her marks weren't about to drop under Acceptable. Weasley's face had turned bright red in embarrassment, and he had made a remark about Hermione not being able to make friends easily.

Neville, instead of heading to the Great Hall with the other first years, had decided to take a walk outside with Granger as a show of support for his muggleborn friend (Draco had asked where he was going when Neville said he wasn't going to attend dinner).

The feast was interrupted half-way through by a strange, shrieking noise that filled the Great Hall, causing many people to drop their forks in surprise and others to clasp their hands over their ears. Harry glanced at the staff table, where Headmaster Carrow had gotten up, talking to Professors Snape, Black, and MacNair. He was gesturing urgently, face pale, and whatever he was saying seemed to have unsettled the three professors. Professor Black, an unreadable expression on his aristocratic face, shot bright red sparks into the air, drawing the attention of the students. A hush filled the hall.

"Sonorous! This is an emergency situation, students. There is an unknown and dangerous trespasser on Hogwarts grounds right now. Students must not leave the Great Hall. Stay calm," Black's voice rang through the hall. After exchanging another round of words with the other Professors, he left the Great Hall with Snape, closing the magnificent double doors of the hall with a wave of his wand.

Harry glanced around the hall. Many students had fearful expressions on their faces, and some of the younger ones had started to cry. Most of the older students, especially the Slytherins, had indifferent expressions on their face, not wanting to appear weak in front of their peers and rivals.

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by Theo, whose panicked expression set alarm bells ringing in Harry's head.

"Harry, we have a problem," Theo whispered. "Neville and Granger are locked outside. They don't know about the intruder."

Draco and Blaise both swore. "We have to do something," Draco, normally calm and collected, was unusually worried. "We can't let anything bad happen to Neville."

"Or Granger," Harry added with a cool glance at Draco, daring him to object.

"What the hell can we do?" Blaise whispered furiously. "We can't even get out of the Great Hall. We don't know where the intruder is. Hell, we're first years; we don't know shit."

Harry's mind was racing, trying to come up with a way to get out of the Great Hall. He suddenly shot up in his seat, causing the others to look at him in surprise. "I think I know how to get out of the Great Hall without anyone noticing."

"How?" Draco demanded.

"We need a distraction of some sort," Blaise commented, the strategist of the group.

"And who knows more about distractions than the king pranksters of Hogwarts, the Weasley Twins?" Harry asked, looking at the far end of the Gryffindor Table, where the redheaded twins were conversing with their friend Lee Jordan. "Theo, come with me," Harry said, getting up from his seat and walking towards the table of the lions.

"Bugger," Theo said before following his friend.

It was obvious that the Weasley Twins weren't used to Slytherin students calmly walking up to them and sitting in front of them. Harry and Theo had slid into the seats in front of the twins, causing each twin to raise an eyebrow and turn to face the first years.

"Hello, Fred and George right?" Harry greeted the twins, who nodded at the same time.

"What," began the first twin.

"do the two," continued the second one.

"Slytherin firsties"

"want from us?" The first twin finished.

Harry heard Theo sigh, rubbing his forehead.

"We require some help, and we think you could help us," Harry said simply, waiting for a response from either twin. "We need a distraction. Preferably in the next few minutes."

The twin on the right grinned mischievously. "What type of distraction do you need?"

Before Harry could answer, the twin on the left interjected. "Wait a moment, why do you guys need a distraction so soon?" His face was suspicious, and Harry could instinctively tell that he was the more cautious of the two.

"Look, this is important," Theo began.

"Neville Longbottom and Hermione went out for a walk around the grounds before dinner. They haven't returned, and they don't know anything about the intruder. We need to warn them," Harry explained urgently. "But we can't just go walking out of the Great Hall and not be stopped. This is why we need you, the two most famous pranksters of Hogwarts."

The twins looked at each other for a moment, seemingly communicating with each other. They both turned back to face the Slytherin first years, looking more serious than they had been before. "We'll do it," the right one said. "Prepare yourselves, you have five minutes until we start."

Harry and Theo thanked both twins and returned to the Slytherin Table.

"Well? Are they helping us?" Blaise asked as soon as they had sat down.

"Yeah, they are," Harry replied. "They'll set off a distraction that'll grab everyone's attention. We have five, now four, minutes to prepare."

"Theo, stay here and cover for us," Blaise said, turning to the Nott heir, who nodded affirmatively. "Harry, Draco, and I will head out as soon as the twins start whatever they're going to do."

The next four minutes were spent in a tense silence, all four first years waiting anxiously for the Weasley twins to start. Suddenly, multiple pops sounded throughout the Hall, and multiple students vanished in flashes of light and smoke. The shocked onlookers saw, when the smoke had cleared and the light had stopped shining, that the students who had initially vanished had been turned into large, yellow canaries. Laughter erupted across the Great Hall, and more pops sounded, causing even more smoke to fill the hall. One of the Weasley twins sent a pointed look at Harry, who immediately jumped out of his seat, ready to leave.

"Come on," he hissed at Draco and Blaise, who quickly followed him. They crept to the doors of the Great Hall. The attentions of the remaining professors and the students were fixed on the students who had been turned into canaries. Harry made a mental note to ask the Weasley twins how they had managed to do such a thing.

"Alohomora," Draco whispered, causing the door to swing open. The three first year Slytherins exited the Great Hall, shutting the door softly behind them.

"Now what?" Blaise asked Harry as they ran outside. "Now we see if we can find Neville and Granger," Harry said, glancing around.

"If I were Neville and Granger, where would I be?" Draco's eyes widened as he answered his own question. "The greenhouses!" He exclaimed.

The trio headed to the greenhouses, careful to remain relatively quiet. As they grew closer, Harry could hear a faint sniffling coming from Greenhouse Two. Motioning for Blaise and Draco to be silent, he drew his wand, unlocking the door to the greenhouse. "Let's go," he said and walked inside.

Harry jumped to his right, narrowly avoiding being hit by a potted plant. "Neville?" He breathed, body tense and ready to move at the slightest hint of danger.

There was a brief moment of silence, which was broken by Neville Longbottom, who step out from behind a stack of crates. "HARRY?" he almost yelled, relieved to see his friend.

"The one and only," Harry replied, stepping forward.

"Don't forget about us," Draco smirked, stepping inside the greenhouse.

"Yeah, what are we, chopped liver?" Blaise assumed a wounded expression.

Neville grinned. "I can't believe you guys came." He turned back to the stack of crates he had been hiding behind. "Hermione, you can come out. It's only Harry, Draco, and Blaise."

Hermione crawled out from where she had been crouching, her face wet from crying.

"What happened?" Blaise asked.

"We were walking back to the Great Hall for dinner, and we saw the entrance doors slam shut," Hermione said quietly. "We didn't know what was going on, but we knew it couldn't be good. And then we heard a loud crash from that old hut next to where MacNair teaches his class, so we panicked. Neville was the one who thought of hiding in the greenhouses," Hermione concluded, smiling at Neville, who ducked his head.

"We should head back now," Blaise said, casting a Tempus spell. "It's been fifteen minutes since we left. Theo's probably worried out of his mind."

"Have you forgotten, o smart one, that the entrance doors to the Great Hall are locked?" Draco inquired sarcastically.

"We could try and see if we can get in from the Divination Tower. I heard Flint saying that there's an entrance there," Harry offered.

"Let's go," Neville said, leading the way out of the greenhouse.

Harry had forgotten that going to the Divination Tower from the greenhouse required one to walk past the Forbidden Forest. Nearing the forest in question, he shuddered, thinking of the things that the older years had said about it. _Most of the comments had been rather frightening_ , Harry thought, quickening his pace.

He suddenly stopped as he saw something out of the corner of his eye, causing Draco to bump into him.

"What the hell, Harry?" Draco complained.

"I-I thought I saw something," Harry replied, visibly unnerved. He thought he had seen a pair of eyes watching him from inside the forest. When he looked again, he saw nothing. "Must have been my imagination playing tricks on me."

The group of first years continued past the Forbidden Forest. Soon, they could see the Divination Tower, and they began to whisper excitedly, eager at the prospect of being back safely in the castle. They were walking on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest when it happened.

A flash of red illuminated the sky for a split second, which was enough time for the five first years to realize something was wrong.

"Come on," Neville yelled as he made a break for the Divination Tower. Hermione followed him without hesitating, stumbling a few times over the uneven terrain.

"Come on, Harry," Draco said impatiently, grabbing the sleeve of Harry's robe. "Come on," he repeated, visibly nervous.

Harry didn't move. He had seen a brief moment behind a group of bushes and trees to their right. His eyes narrowed, trying to find what he had spotted.

"Harry, we need to go," Blaise pleaded, body taunt, ready to run at any moment. "I don't like this."

Another flash of red came, this time aimed directly at the remaining trio, scattering them. Someone screamed, the sound echoing ominously. The spell hit the floor, causing a part of the ground to explode.

"Harry, let's go!" It was Draco's panicked voice, and Harry needed no further encouragement. Draco and Blaise began running, heading towards the tower, Harry following close behind.

It was dark, and Harry stumbled after a few steps, tripping over a large root. "Fuck," he swore, noticing that Draco and Blaise were long gone.

Another red light shot towards him, causing Harry to roll away to avoid being hit. He got up to his feet, wincing as his left ankle throbbed. He must have sprained it when he fell. He swore again as he stumbled, his ankle flaring up in pain. He shook his head, clearing his mind of the pain, preparing himself for a final run.

Harry turned towards the castle before he froze. The cool tip of a wand was digging into the back of his neck. "Easy now," a gruff voice reached his ears. Terrified, Harry stiffened, eyes wide and fearful. "Drop your wand, lad," the voice commanded. Harry hesitated, not wanting to give up a possible weapon. The tip of the wand dug deeper into his neck, and he obediently dropped his wand, which rolled onto the ground next to the unknown wizard.

"Now turn around, nice and slowly." The voice commanded once more. "Don't try anything stupid and put your hands in the air."

Harry turned around slowly, hands raised. He ignored the protesting pain of his ankle as he turned, raising his head to look at his attacker. He paled, his face as white as a sheet, as he realized he was staring straight into the cold blue eyes of Sturgis Podmore.

 **AN: Some of you might notice that the tone of the first few chapters is pretty light. This is deliberate; Harry and co are still kids right now, and I didn't want to write them as adults. There will be a time skip after a few more chapters, and as the story goes on, the tone might grow darker.**

 **Thanks again, and please review, favorite, and follow if you've enjoyed the story so far.**


	7. Chapter 6: Lessons and Duels

**After two days, Chapter 7 is here! I've also made a few notes on this story on my profile, in case anyone wants to check.**

It was one of those times, Harry reflected, when you realize that you're well and truly screwed.

"Recognize me, do you?" Podmore had asked drily, removing his wand from Harry's neck and studying him, blue eyes narrowed.

"Your photograph in the Prophet made it kind of hard not to," Harry shot back, glaring back at the man in hatred.

Podmore snorted, seemingly amused at Harry's reply. "For once, the Prophet has the right information," Podmore muttered under his breath.

"What do you want with me," Harry spat. Podmore lifted an eyebrow. "Who said I wanted anything to do with you?"

"Then why the hell was I held at wand point and disarmed?" Podmore shrugged. "You lot were liabilities. I tried scaring you guys into returning to the castle; only four of the five did. I can't waste any more time, so I had to restrain you." Podmore, wand still in hand, stepped back from Harry. "Now come on, walk." He gestured in the direction of the old hut next to the Care of Magical Creatures class area.

Harry noticed that Podmore was limping after a few tense minutes. Podmore caught his look, grimacing in pain. "MacNair's blasted hounds are vicious," the Order member said. "Hard to aim at, and even harder to Stun. One of the bastards got me on the leg."

Harry filed away the information, sensing a potential weakness that he could exploit. The pair continued to walk in silence, Podmore glancing around every so often.

They reached the hut, and Sturgis opened the door, revealing the dusty interior. "Inside," Podmore gestured with his wand, and Harry obeyed. Both sat in chairs around the lone table in what Harry thought was the kitchen area. Harry sat ramrod straight, body tense, not trusting Podmore in the least. Podmore, on the other hand, was relaxing quite comfortably, putting his boots on one of the other chairs.

"Did you know," Podmore said conversationally. "That this hut used to belong to Rubeus Hagrid, the last Care of Magical Creatures?"

Harry didn't reply.

"Most of his students enjoyed his rather unorthodox lessons," Podmore continued.

"And then he revealed himself as an Order member and fled with the other members of your sorry group," Harry couldn't stop himself from saying.

Podmore sent him a searching glance. "Indeed. You're remarkable well informed of the Order."

"You killed my father. I made it my job to research your Order," Harry responded simply.

"You remind me of James. Not just the way you look," Podmore paused. "So brave and determined."

Harry held back a snarl, disgusted with the man for bringing his father into the conversation.

"He'd be proud of you, if he saw you right now," Podmore continued quietly, sitting up straight. "I'm afraid that our little chat needs to end now. I have things to do, and I apologize in advance for doing this." He abruptly raised his wand, which began to glow red.

Harry was immediately on alert. "What are you doing?!" He said, alarmed.

"It's only a simple Stunning spell- It won't hurt."

"Why didn't you Stun me earlier then?" Harry demanded, eyes fixed on the glowing tip of Podmore's wand.

"Would you have rather spent an extra ten minutes unconscious? Hence, our little chat, where I could talk to James' son." Podmore began getting out of his seat.

"Shit," Podmore winced, his free hand instinctively going to his injured leg, and he hissed in pain, temporarily distracted. His wand hand lowered slightly, and he took his eyes off of Harry for a split second, which was all the boy needed.

Harry launched himself across the table at Podmore, who looked up in time to see the fierce gleam in Harry's eyes before he fell to the floor, grunting in pain as Harry landed on him.

Harry immediately grabbed Podmore's wand, clutching it tightly in his hand, trembling as he pointed it at Podmore. "Now, let's not do anything rash," Podmore began, raising his hands in a show of surrender. His eyes darted to the doorway of the hut, and he shouted at someone, "Over here!"

Harry whirled behind him, back facing the Order member. Confusion reigned in his mind when he saw that there was no one in the doorway. He then cursed, realizing it had been a ploy to distract him, turning back around to face Podmore. He was too late, however and the Order member had already jumped to his feet, body set in a defensive stance.

"You give me no choice," Podmore said quietly, lunging at Harry. "Expulso!" Harry screamed out. The blue light connected with Podmore, who had been mere meters away, throwing him into the wall of the hut, where he lay groaning in pain.

Harry knew he didn't have long before Podmore was up on his feet again. He searched the hut desperately for anything he could use to physically bind the Order member. He wanted to somehow capture Podmore and bring him to Headmaster Carrow. _Black would probably see this as proving his worth,_ Harry thought grimly. Being a first year, Harry didn't know many offensive spells (or spells in general), and he was loathe to try Stunning the man, not knowing if his Stupefy spells would be powerful enough.

His eyes fell upon a sledgehammer in the corner of the hut, leaning against an old barrel, as Podmore got up on his feet, still in pain from being thrown into the wall.

Thinking quickly, Harry concentrated on what Flitwick had said in his very first Charms lesson. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry cried, pointing the wand in his hand at the sledgehammer.

"Bloody h-" Podmore began before the flat side of the sledgehammer dropped on his head. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

XXXXX

When Severus Snape and Regulus Black entered the hut, they didn't expect to see one Harry James Potter standing above an unconscious and bloodied Sturgis Podmore. They also didn't expect Harry to have an unfamiliar wand in his right hand and what seemed to be a sledgehammer in his left.

Both men were former Slytherins and soon hid their shock behind impassive masks.

"Potter," Snape said stonily. "Explain."

"This is Sturgis Podmore," Harry said, kicking the unconscious man. "He ambushed me near the Divination Tower and forced me here at wand point."

Professor Regulus Black closed his eyes, trying, in a futile effort, to prevent the impending headache that usually appeared when he was forced to deal with the actions of his most rash and impulsive students.

"And what business did you have outside of the Divination Tower at this time?" Snape questioned icily. "When all of the other, non-idiotic, students were in the safety of the Great Hall, where you were supposed to be?"

"Neville and Gr- Hermione were taking a walk on the grounds and were absent at dinner. They didn't know about the intruder," Harry explained quickly, sensing how close Snape was to blowing up. "We snuck out of the Great Hall to warn them."

Severus Snape took a long, deep breath, trying not to explode. "And you didn't think about alerting any one of the professors?"

Harry adopted a sheepish smile. "Well…"

"If you say something along the lines of 'I didn't think about that,' I will personally see you in detention scrubbing cauldrons without magic for the rest of your years here at Hogwarts."

Harry paused. "Then I really don't think I should answer that question."

Regulus soon entered the conversation, earning a grateful look from Harry, who had noticed the icy looks Snape had been shooting him. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under already.

"More importantly, how did you manage to subdue him?" Regulus asked, gesturing at Podmore's unmoving figure. "And why is there a rather sizeable dent in that wall?"

Harry winced. "Yeah, about that. He led me here and we sat down and had a little chat."

Regulus' eyes narrowed. "And a 'little chat' caused him to become unconscious?"

"No, that was the sledgehammer," Harry replied seriously. Regulus just looked at him. "He tried Stunning me and I kind of panicked. I jumped at him and disarmed him. He tried attacking me, so I threw him into the wall with an Expulso curse. That's where the dent comes from." Harry didn't really know if he was expecting any sort of acknowledgement from either of the two professors. He didn't receive any, so he continued on with his story.

"He got up from that, so I knocked him out by dropping the sledgehammer on his head." Harry looked expectantly at the two professors.

"Severus?" Regulus said quietly, knowing the other professor would know what he wanted.

Snape stared directly into Harry's eyes, causing the boy to feel an uncomfortable sensation in the back of his mind. "He's telling the truth," Snape said at last, and the sensation disappeared.

"How did you find me?" Harry was curious.

"We heard a bunch of thuds and saw flashes of light," Regulus drawled, clearly wanting Harry to stop asking what he thought were stupid questions.

"What are we going to do now?" Harry blurted out impatiently. He flinched as Snape sent a withering look at him.

"There's no 'we', here." The Potions Professor said. Harry, sufficiently cowed, quieted, believing it prudent not to ask anymore questions.

Meanwhile, Regulus had conjured ropes, which wrapped around the body of the unconscious Order member, effectively binding him. "Let's return to the castle," he said briskly, striding out of the hut, not looking back to see if the other two were following him.

Harry quickly followed Regulus outside, not wanting to be anywhere by himself with a furious Severus Snape. Regulus was levitating Podmore's body behind him as he walked.

Harry, who couldn't see clearly in the darkness, winced as he stepped on a large rock, his ankle flaring briefly in pain. "Lumos," he whispered, causing his wand, which he had retrieved from where he had dropped it under Podmore's command, to glow.

They arrived at the doors of the Great Hall in around five minutes.

"Shall we?" Regulus asked, lifting his eyebrow. Snape nodded shortly and, with a flick of his wand, opened the doors with a bang.

Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott (Theo to his friends and the younger members of his family), Blaise Zabini, and Neville Longbottom (who was sitting at the Slytherin table, despite the numerous vicious looks he received from some of the older students) didn't know where the hell Harry was. Last time Draco had checked, Harry had been running right behind them when they had made a break for the Divination Tower. _It was always Harry,_ Draco thought ruefully _, who got into these situations._ Something must have happened to him, and it was probably something bad.

The depressing and worrying thought plagued the minds of all four of the first years, who had managed to sneak back into the Great Hall (The professors had still been trying to figure out who had caused the students to transform into the giant canaries, and, as a result, had not been paying attention when the left door of the Great Hall had suspiciously cracked open) after successfully entering the Divination Tower.

"Do you think he's alright?" Theo asked, face suspiciously blank.

"He'd better be," Blaise replied. "The prat still owes me 5 galleons." The other three boys glared at their Italian friend. "Right. No jokes right now. Got it."

"Knowing Harry and his luck, he probably ran into whoever the intruder was," Draco said morosely. Despite generally being a tad selfish, he still cared deeply about his friends, especially Harry, whom he had met at a very young age.

"He'll survive, somehow. He always does," Neville replied confidently.

"Surviving doesn't mean much, if he's seriously injured. You could have a broken spine and still survive," Blaise commented, drawing the attention of the other first years again. "What? It's true."

"We really didn't need that, Blaise." It was Theo who finally answered.

"All I'm saying is," Blaise began, before a loud bang echoed through the hall. All students and professors present in the Great Hall turned to face the doorway, where three people had appeared.

"Is that Harry?" Neville squinted his eyes, trying hard to see the figure standing behind Professor Black. "And what's Black levitating?"

Harry really hated times like this. He vehemently disliked it when people stared at him, and he gritted his teeth when he realized the attention of all of the occupants of the Great Hall was focused on three figures: Professors Snape and Black, and him.

He could hear their whispers, which progressively grew larger when they realized that Professor Black was levitating an unconscious figure behind him.

"Potter's in trouble again?"

"Reckon he'll be alright? Snape looks pissed."

"Who the hell is that? Behind Black?"

"Maybe Potter got caught doing something he…shouldn't be doing." Harry fought the urge to shudder at the Ravenclaw boy's innuendo, grimacing.

The trio (and the floating body of one Sturgis Podmore) advanced towards the staff table, where Headmaster Carrow was waiting with an unreadable look on his sallow face.

"I think you might recognize our friend here," Regulus stated casually, flicking his wand lazily and causing Podmore's body to float in front of Carrow.

"Sturgis Podmore," MacNair breathed, looking delighted. "I've missed the bastard since we last fought."

Carrow stared hard at Snape and Black. "Explain," he intoned coolly.

"We found a few first years outside on the grounds near the Divination Tower. They told us that Mr. Potter here was missing, and we set off to find him. We heard a bunch of noises and saw flashes of spells coming from the direction of that old hut near the Care of Magical Creatures class area, and we found Potter with Podmore."

"I take it Potter was about to be vaporized?" The question was asked by MacNair, who tilted his head slightly in curiosity.

Regulus hesitated. "Actually, he was standing above Podmore's body, having disarmed and knocked him unconscious." Most of the professors had been listening to the conversation with interest, and now some of them looked at Harry rather disbelievingly.

"It's true," Snape put in. "He used an Expulso curse and levitated a sledgehammer, dropping it on Podmore's head."

Carrow considered Harry carefully. "Then it appears, Mr. Potter, that we owe you our gratitude for capturing an Order member. However, if I may ask, what were you doing outside in the first place?"

Harry fidgeted, smiling sheepishly. "Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger told us that they were taking a walk around the grounds, and weren't present in the Great Hall when an intruder was announced. We wanted to find them and warn them."

Carrow's cold eyes bored into Harry's skull. "Such bravery… Be aware, Mr. Potter, that you were lucky tonight. Had you not caught Podmore off-guard… well, we might have had to pick pieces of your body off of the ground and send them to your godfather." Carrow laughed unpleasantly. "MacNair, see to it that Mr. Podmore here is escorted to a proper holding room, perhaps up in one of the higher towers. I'll alert our Lord and Emperor now." He stood, giving Harry one last searching glance, and left the Great Hall.

MacNair excused himself too, gingerly levitating the still-unconscious form of Sturgis Podmore out of the hall.

"Potter, a word," Snape said. Harry internally sighed, mentally preparing himself for what was sure to be one of the worst lectures of his life.

"Severus, I'd like to talk to the boy as well. Shall we go to my office?" Snape nodded shortly at Regulus.

XXXXX

If anyone needed their confidence levels knocked down multiple pegs, torn into shreds, and then stomped on a few times, Harry would be sure to recommend Snape. The man had spared Harry nothing, unmercifully alternating between sneering at him in undisguised contempt, insulting him (and Sirius), and looking at him in disdain. Harry had weathered it all, knowing that he had directly disobeyed orders and deserved to be punished. That didn't mean, however, that he wanted detention or any other kind of hellish torture.

Now, he began to walk towards the direction of the door, hoping to avoid any punishment, seeing how the potions master was done ranting. "I'll just be leaving now," he said with a fake smile plastered on his face.

"I don't think so, Potter." Snape sneered. "Detention for the next four weeks, starting tomorrow night at 7 o'clock sharp in my classroom. Don't be late."

"Well, fuck," Harry mumbled, stopping in his tracks, abandoning all efforts of escape. Snape brushed past him, intent on returning to his classroom, muttering under his breath about "even worse dunderheads this year."

"Mr. Potter, we aren't done yet," Regulus Black's voice drawled. Harry slowly forced his body to turn around to face the professor, a resigned look on his face.

"I have a question for you," Black began conversationally. "How damn stupid did you think you were tonight?"

Harry winced. "I realized that my thinking was rather flawed tonight, Professor."

"Yes you did, about an hour too late," Regulus snapped. "Learn to use that brain of yours, boy. I expected more from you, Mr. Potter. Certainly not this. Dismissed." He didn't spare Harry another glance.

Harry waited for a moment, not moving from his spot. "Professor?" He began cautiously. Regulus raised his head at the first year.

"I didn't know what I was doing," Harry admitted, talking softly. "Out there, with Podmore. As soon as made me drop my wand, I was defenseless. He could have made me do anything he wanted, and I would have been forced to do it."

"I need to become better," he continued. "There has to be something I can do to avoid being so helpless if this happens again."

"The odds of another member of the Order of the Phoenix sneaking into the castle or onto its grounds is quite small."

"But still there," Harry countered. "And if I am to improve, I'll need help. Specifically, the help of my esteemed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Regulus was silent for a long moment, staring at something in the distance. Harry's hopes died, believing that Regulus would send him away.

"My classroom, tomorrow afternoon at 4 o'clock," Regulus finally spoke.

Harry couldn't keep his pleased grin from making an appearance, causing his professor to snap irritably.

"Stop smiling, boy. You don't know what you've gotten yourself into."

XXXXX

Harry's pleased mood evaporated when he entered the Great Hall the next morning.

"What do you mean, he escaped?" He was looking incredulously at Flint.

"I do believe Marcus was quite clear, Harry." It was Blaise.

"Not now, Blaise," Harry snapped.

"Montague overheard MacNair talking to Carrow earlier. Apparently, Podmore wasn't anywhere to be found this morning. The door to where he was being kept was wide open. He was long gone by the time MacNair went up to check on him."

Harry swore violently, stabbing his bread knife into the soft slice of bread that lay on his plate, wishing it could have been a little (a lot) sharper and aimed at the face of a certain Order member.

"How the hell did he get out?" Blaise frowned. "It's not like he could just open the door and walk out of the castle."

"Well, we have Defense next. We can ask Black," Draco commented. That signified the end of that conversation, and the first years soon exited the Great Hall, heading for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Is it true?" Harry blurted out immediately after all the other students had left for their next class.

"Is what true?" Black's voice was cool.

"You know what I'm talking about. Is Podmore really gone?"

"If you're asking if he escaped, then yes, he did. He is no longer inside the castle or on its grounds."

"How'd he get out of a castle full of people without anyone noticing?" Harry asked his next question.

"Indeed, that is the question our headmaster and the other professors are trying to explain. Now, if that's all you were wondering about, I suggest you head to your next lesson; You have less than five minutes."

Harry nodded his head, trying to think of any shortcuts to the greenhouses for Herbology. Thinking of none, he resigned himself to running the whole way there.

"And Mr. Potter, don't forget about our lessons here at four. It wouldn't be wise to be late; I consider time to be of immense value."

XXXXX

In an undisclosed location on the other side of the country, the Order of the Phoenix meeting had just begun. The members were sitting around a long, rectangular table, with a certain old wizard with long white hair and twinkling blue eyes sitting at the head of the table.

"Are we waiting on something?" One of the youngest members, and also one of the more impatient, voiced.

"We are. I have received word that Sturgis will be joining us soon," Albus Dumbledore smiled serenely.

In a matter of minutes, the door to the room had swung open, revealing the rather tired face of Sturgis Podmore. "Come in and take a seat," Albus said genially. "Welcome back."

With a grunt of greeting, Podmore chose the last remaining empty chair, sitting next to Minerva McGonagall and the newest recruit: Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"I take it that our two esteemed professors helped you escape?" The question was posed by Dumbledore, who was studying Sturgis intently.

Sturgis nodded affirmatively. "They had to wait until the early hours in the morning, and both complained about the need to, as you said, 'rescue me.'"

"That's because they're both greasy gits," A black haired man whispered to the man with light brown hair who sat next to him, causing said man to stifle a laugh. McGonagall frowned disapprovingly at the pair.

"I'm sure they had their reasons," Dumbledore said lightly, and the meeting continued, lasting for about another 30 minutes.

"Sturgis, Alastor, and Minerva, please stay behind," Dumbledore requested after the meeting had concluded.

When everyone else had left, Dumbledore turned to Sturgis expectantly.

"The castle wasn't as well defended as it should have been," Sturgis began. "Snape said that they only knew about me on the grounds from the outer wards. If the wards hadn't been there, I'd have been able to sneak into the castle for a good bit of time."

"Constant vigilance." A certain one-eyed former Auror muttered. "Carrow and the lot must have gotten careless in their confidence over the years."

"It's a good thing for us. I'm not complaining," Sturgis replied.

"Excellent news. I have one last thing to ask you about. How was he?" Albus said, voice suddenly becoming more serious.

Sturgis hesitated. "He's…good," he grounded out, still rather irritated that an eleven year old first year had managed to knock him out by himself. "He's intelligent, has a good set of natural instincts, and is pretty inventive, if I do say so myself."

"Lots of praise for a young boy." It was Moody, who was unimpressed by Sturgis' comments about Harry Potter.

Sturgis shrugged. "He deserves it. I had him disarmed inside Hagrid's old hut and was about to Stun him. He launched himself at me and took my wand. When I attacked him back, he threw me back into the far wall with an Expulso curse. Then, to finish me off, he levitated a sledgehammer and dropped it on my head, according to Snape." After a brief pause, he added, "And someone please tell Hagrid that there is now a giant dent in his wall and that it wasn't my fault."

Moody snorted. "I still say he had a bit more luck than skill."

"He used an Expulso curse as a first year," McGonagall retorted.

"I believe that Sirius taught him a few curses and hexes before Harry went to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said. "Anyway, the boy does have great potential. We must keep an eye out for him. I've told our two professors at Hogwarts to keep watch over him and help him should he need help."

"I don't know if that's wise," Moody commented. "From what I've heard, his ultimate dream is to become a Serpent and hunt us all down."

"And he's under the impression that we killed James Potter," Sturgis added.

"It's a sad time for us all," Dumbledore began. "When the youths of our nation are fed lies by their elders and the government."

"To the victors, belong the spoils," Moody said quietly. "And in the case of the war, Voldemort, or Riddle, whatever the bloody hell he goes by now, was the victor."

There was a brief moment of contemplative silence. "We must hope that young Mr. Potter's hatred, while albeit targeted at the wrong side, does not destroy him."

XXXXX

Harry had found his own personal hell: Regulus Black's classroom during his private lessons with the professor.

The first lesson had been simple enough; Black had given him a list of curses, hexes, and spells and had told him to cross out the ones he could perform with ease, put a dash next to the ones that he wasn't sure he could perform easily, and leave the ones that he didn't know at all alone.

Once he had finished with his list, Black had asked him to perform all of the spells he had crossed out. Harry had done so easily, with his only trouble being the Reducto curse, which he could successfully cast once every three times.

"We need to work on the power of all of your spells," Regulus had commented. "Although, you're limited mainly by your age right now."

Harry had then been asked to perform the spells he wasn't so good with. He had managed to get through all of them within 10 minutes, even with the trouble he had faced with some of the spells.

Regulus had then spent the next 45 minutes of the lesson teaching Harry the spells from the list he didn't know. Black was a good teacher when he wanted to be, Harry thought. Regulus started out with the incantation of each spell, making Harry repeat it and correcting him every time he said something wrong. Next, he showed Harry the wand movement and had Harry imitate him until he could do it with ease. Regulus then cast the spell twice; enough so that Harry could see exactly how he was supposed to cast it.

By the end of the 45 minutes, Harry was sufficiently worn out, and, exhausted, wanted nothing more than eating and sleeping. He had groaned, remembering that his detentions with Snape had started that day.

After they had finished going through the list of spells, Regulus had motioned for Harry to take a seat, gracefully sitting in his own seat. "Well done," he had praised the boy.

"Now, we need to move on to more important matters," Regulus started, looking seriously at Harry. "You need to learn Occlumency."

Harry had frowned in confusion. "Occlu what?"

Professor Black had sighed and proceeded to explain what Occlumency was.

"So let me get this straight. It's a branch of the elusive mind arts, which are illegal according to the Ministry, that lets you focus your mind and close it off against Legilimency?" Harry said, still a bit confused. "What's Legilimency?"

"Basically, people who are Legilimens, can enter your mind and read it with ease," Regulus drawled impatiently. "And, as you might have realized by now, that's a bad thing."

Harry had paled, thinking of what these Legilimens could do to him. "So if I learn Occlumency, I won't have to worry about having my mind read?"

Regulus nodded. "It'll help you with remembering things and studying, too."

Black had produced a thick tome from his desk and handed it to Harry.

"Occlumency: A Brief Study into the Mind Arts," Harry had read out loud.

"I expect you to read a little every day. And now, before you go, I'll show you the first step to mastering Occlumency."

Regulus had explained how and why Harry had to clear his mind. "Your mind must be as empty as a blank state; simply stare at something. You mustn't think about anything."

Well, that's helpful, Harry thought sarcastically after twenty minutes of trying to attempt to clear his mind.

"Try again," Regulus snapped. Harry held back a biting remark, closing his eyes in concentration.

"It's not working," he had said in frustration, shaking his head.

"It's not a matter of it working, it's a matter of you trying."

Regulus had dismissed Harry fifteen minutes later (they had spent a total of 35 minutes on clearing minds alone).

"Same time and place tomorrow," Regulus said briskly.

Harry had cast a quick Tempus spell and swore when he realized it was 6:55 p.m. and that he wouldn't have enough time to eat before reporting to Snape's classroom for detention. He bemoaned the fact that he wouldn't be able to eat dinner that night. By the time he got out of Snape's detention, which would last at least for a good hour and a half, dinner would be over.

Regulus could sense the boy's plight. "The kitchens are always open," he commented offhandedly. "Even at night."

Harry had glanced at him, and Regulus quickly deduced that the emerald eyed boy had no clue where the kitchens were. "It's directly under the Great Hall. Go down the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff common room and you'll find a painting of a bowl of fruit. To get inside the kitchens, you have to tickle the pear."

Harry had thanked him repeatedly before heading off to his detention. Sirius had mentioned the kitchens quite a few times before Harry had left for Hogwarts, but he had never mentioned how one found said kitchens or where the kitchens were located.

After arriving at the potions classroom, Harry had promptly cursed Snape, who had assigned him the task of scrubbing dozens of cauldrons clean. Without magic.

"Vindictive bastard," Harry thought viciously, scrubbing one cauldron way harder than he had to.

XXXXX

Harry had found that his second lesson with Professor Black was significantly harder than the first one.

"The best way to improve is to learn from your mistakes," Black had spoken calmly, as if he were delivering a lecture. "So tonight, we'll be reviewing what happened on All Hallow's Eve with Podmore and what you could've done better."

Harry nodded, having expected this. "Where do I start?"

Professor Black walked to his office, which was connected to his classroom by a sturdy door. "Well?" He said impatiently. "Come on."

Harry followed the professor into his office.

Regulus moved swiftly to one of the cupboards that lay against the far wall of the office. He muttered something under his breath, causing the cupboard door to open, revealing what appeared to be a stone basin. Harry noticed many magical runes carved around the object, deducting that it was an ancient and powerful magical artifact.

"Do you know what this is?" Regulus questioned lightly.

"Not a clue, Professor," Harry answered honestly.

"This is a pensieve. I'm assuming that, since you were unaware of what it was, that you are also unaware of what it is used for." He paused. "A pensieve can be used to review one's memories. In this case, we can see what happened, from your perspective, the night Podmore was found on Hogwarts grounds. All you have to do is extract your memory."

"How do I do that, Professor?" Regulus explained, and, within five minutes, Harry had successfully extracted his memory, putting it into the Pensieve. "Now, as muggles would say, dive in."

Harry made a mental note to ask Sirius if Black Manor had a pensieve; it would be a useful thing to have on hand. He watched as Podmore snuck up behind and disarmed him, telling him to walk towards the old hut. He then watched his unorthodox way of dealing with the Order member, wincing at how many things could have gone wrong.

"So," Harry began as soon as the pair had excited the Pensieve.

"It's a miracle you managed to beat him," Regulus spoke truthfully.

"I wasn't that bad," Harry had protested feebly, stopping after seeing Regulus' glance _. Really?_ The look said, and he shut up.

"You could have been worse. I'll admit, nice thinking with the levitation spell, but everything else sucked."

"I didn't know many spells; I still don't, even with the list you gave me."

"We need to start working on your casting speed and your endurance soon," Regulus muttered distractedly. "Do you know anything else that you could've done better?" He asked suddenly.

Harry was quiet for a moment as he thought. "Probably paid more attention to my surroundings. I should've started running like hell for the castle as soon as I started seeing those red flashes."

After another moment, he spoke again. "I also need to learn how to evade spells." Continuing after Regulus' look, he explained what he meant. "Like maybe a basic shield or something. Just so I'm not as defenseless as I was when spellfire comes at me next time."

"It'll take some time for you to learn and manage to conjure a full shield that covers your entire body," Regulus said doubtfully. "Especially at your age. There's a reason why the Shield Charm is taught in your fourth year."

"But," he hurriedly continued, seeing how Harry was about to protest. "There's another thing you can do." Harry was rather startled by the slow smile that crept onto Black's face.

"What?" He heard himself asking warily.

"Dodging," was the simple reply. "If you jump or roll or whatever out of the way of whatever spell's been shot at you, you avoid it. It's much easier to learn to do than Shields are."

"So, how does one go about learning this? It's not like I have a willing Order member available to repeatedly try killing me," Harry said sarcastically, annoyed at Regulus' superior smirk.

"No," the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor spoke, glee evident in his voice. "But you have me." And suddenly, there was a spell shooting out of the wand that had appeared in his right hand at Harry, who swore, jumping violently to his right, almost crashing into the wall of the office.

 _He was pretty decent at dodging, if he did say so himself_ , Harry thought after the 7th spell, which he had identified as a minor Stinging Hex, came at him out of Regulus' wand. The younger Black had become increasingly irritated at Harry's success, and his smirk was replaced with a scowl of reluctant approval.

"Stop," Regulus commanded, lowering his wand.

"Of course, Professor," came Harry's cheeky reply.

"We'll be continuing this manner of spell evasion in two days' time. I need some time to turn my office into a suitable…environment that is an adequate imitation of a battle field."

Harry nodded, sensing the unspoken dismissal in Regulus' words. He turned to exit, when he was struck by a sudden question.

"Professor, Order members are known to use a wide variety of spells, right?"

"Of course. Any competent wizard or witch should be able to draw upon a variety of spells. Knowing a spell that your opponent does not gives a person an advantage in battle."

"And most of them are intent on doing harm?" Regulus threw him a look, suggesting he was an idiot if he thought otherwise.

"Then…" Harry didn't know how exactly to phrase his next question. "With the exception of that Reducto curse at the beginning, the worst spells Podmore tried to use were Stunners. And the Reducto curse was for show, I think- he tried to scare us off."

Harry continued, "And then he brought me to that hut, when he could've just Stunned me right where he found me. He told me when he was going to Stun me there, and he actually sounded a bit regretful."

Regulus was suspiciously quiet. "Only monsters hurt children, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix are less monstrous than we believe they are."

Harry took in Black's words, trying to figure out what he meant. Surely, he wasn't implying that the Order….no, he was a Serpent for Merlin's sake.

With a mechanical 'Thank you Professor,' Harry left, many things still on his mind.

Why _had_ Podmore not used any lethal spells? It just didn't seem right that Harry, a first year, could've overpowered him, an experienced Order member, like that. Given, he had luck and surprise on his side, but still.

It was a matter for another day, Harry eventually decided, walking back to the Slytherin common room.

XXXXX

"You're going, right?" Draco's face was impassive, but his voice betrayed his excitement.

"Probably," Harry replied, eyes still taking in the words on the poster.

Blaise snorted. "Of course he is. It's Harry; he's crazy about defense."

A month had passed by, and winter was here. It was almost December, and the Slytherins were surprised to find a notice on the bulletin board in their common room one morning.

"I can't believe Black's actually starting a dueling club," Theo said excitedly. "Apparently it's the first dueling club in around five years."

"Calm down, Theo," Blaise said, looking at his bookish friend with an amused smile on his face.

"I hope we actually learn a few good offensive spells," Draco commented. "The first year spells aren't exactly helpful if we get into a fight."

"It's not like you'd last more than a minute in a fight," Blaise muttered. "Mr. I – hate –herbology – because – don't – like- getting – dirt – on- my- hideously – expensive – robes."

"Oi," Draco objected as the others snickered. "At least I didn't scream like a little girl when the Bloody Baron appeared right in front of us that one time we were out of bounds at night."

Harry smiled. They had been sneaking around the school in the middle of the night, intent on exploring. Sirius had mentioned some sort of passageway out of the school, and Harry and his friends had been delighted to find that it led directly into the basement of Honeydukes, the wizarding candy shop in Hogsmeade.

They had been returning back to the Slytherin dorms for a few hours of sleep before classes started, when the Bloody Baron had suddenly materialized in front of them. Shocked, they had all stumbled back, eyes wide, with the sole exception of Blaise, who had screamed (He was at the head of their group, and the Bloody Baron appeared mere inches from him).

Blaise scowled but otherwise did not retort. Draco smirked, seeing how he had won the round.

"Let's hope Black actually lets us duel. I'd like to knock Weasley's cocky smirk right off of his face," Draco said, already imagining possible ways to humiliate the youngest male Weasley. _Some things never changed_ , Harry thought in amusement, and Draco's dislike for the Weasley (and vice versa) had never wavered. _It was almost irrational, but whatever made Draco happy_ , Harry concluded.

"Hey Draco?" Blaise asked seriously after Draco's declaration.

"Yes, Blaise?"

"In a duel between you and Weasley, I'd pick Weasley a hundred times in a row, just saying." Draco spluttered in outrage.

XXXXX

Regulus Black did not disappoint, Harry thought, looking around at the transformation of the Great Hall. The four house tables had disappeared, leaving a large, wide open space. A standard dueling platform was at the front of the hall, where the staff table had been. Professor Black stood next to the platform, conversing with Professor Snape.

An expectant hush filled the Great Hall when Professor Black stepped onto the platform, all eyes on him, eager to hear what he was about to say.

"Welcome," Black's magnified voice boomed. "To the first meeting of Hogwart's new Dueling Club. Professor Snape and myself will be seeing if we can turn some of you into, at the very least, competent wizards and witches. Tonight, we'll be starting off easily with a few mock duels, just to see where everyone is at."

Professor Snape took over, speaking in a cool tone. "We'll be picking pairs at random. If we call your name, come up to the front and step onto the platform. You will duel with the other student. Standard European dueling rules apply."

"Don't worry too much. We'll be choosing your partner based on skill level and age. So, without further ado, our first match of the night will be… Graham Montague versus Angelina Johnson!" Regulus said.

Harry watched the duel with interest, eager to see how well the two older students fared against each other. Montague had immediately gone on the offensive, shooting several curses and Stunners at Johnson, who had conjured a brilliant yellow shield.

Between the two, Johnson was the better duelist. Montague relied too much on offensive skills and did not defend very well in return. Johnson was more careful, disarming her Slytherin opponent with a simple Expelliarmus after Montague had twisted right, leaving himself wide open for returning spellfire.

Gryffindor students and a large portion of the other houses had erupted into cheers for the girl, who was fairly popular and well-liked. Montague had accepted his wand back with a glower, his displeasure from his loss clear to see on his face.

"Our next pair will be Percy Weasley of Gryffindor versus Gabriel Truman of Hufflepuff!"

The next duel wasn't as exciting to watch as the first one had been. Both students had immediately moved into defensive stances, and neither fired a spell for a solid minute. Stunners, curses, and hexes had been traded between the two, and finally one connected. Gabriel Truman stood in the middle of the platform, holding up Percy Weasley's wand in his left hand victoriously.

There were five more duels after that, most of them interesting. Harry had been whispering with Theo about the winning move the Ravenclaw student who had won the last duel had used, debating about its advantages and disadvantages. He had been caught off-guard by Professor Black shouting his name for all students in the Great Hall to hear.

"…Harry Potter versus Cormac McLaggen!"

Instantly, all nearby eyes turned to look at Harry.

"Good luck, mate," Draco whispered.

"You got this," Theo said.

"Stun him in the balls." That was Blaise.

Harry made his way up to the platform, standing on the left side. He saw McLaggen, a second year Gryffindor, standing opposite on him on the right side. McLaggen had taken longer than Harry to reach the platform, mainly because he had taken some time to boast to his surrounding peers about how he'd easily win the duel. "He's a first year snake. What can he do? I'll beat him easy." Harry gritted his teeth at the insult. "Give him a pair of antlers, will you Cormac?" One of his Gryffindor mates called out, causing laughter to erupt from Gryffindor side of the hall.

Harry might've been at a significant disadvantage against the second year, who most likely had more power and knowledge than him, but he was determined to come out on the top. There was no way in hell that he'd be able to endure Cormac's bragging if the older boy won _. It's better that I curse him now, when I'm allowed and encouraged to, than if I get in trouble later for losing my temper and cursing him,_ Harry noted.

"Begin," Regulus intoned.

"Scared, you snake?" Cormac was smirking arrogantly, and Harry was dying to knock it clean off of his face.

"Of you? No," he replied easily, making it sound like he thought Cormac was below him. The other boy's eyes narrowed at the slight, and Harry knew the boy would be the first to attack.

"Stupefy!" McLaggen shouted. Harry easily ducked out of the range of the Stunner, replying with a whispered Expelliarmus.

Harry was confident that he'd be able to defeat McLaggen. His defense lessons with Regulus had been going well, and he had improved immensely. His knowledge of spells had increased, and he was proficient in dodging enemy spellfire.

Regulus, knowing that Harry, while powerful for his age, was still at a disadvantage due to his age, had worked on improving the boy's agility. His speed at both casting and dodging proved to be a formidable combination in the mock duels that Harry had participated in.

Harry's Occlumency training was going at a slower pace than his normal defense training, but he was still improving. He was able to clear his mind in the span of a few seconds within a month, which he considered great progress. Harry had found that it helped him if he thought of something boring before trying to clear his mind. Two weeks ago, Professor Black had begun to teach Harry how to build up defenses in his mind against Legilimens. It was hard work, but it paid off. And last week, Black had decided to begin testing Harry's newly constructed defenses against Legilimens.

Regulus Black was a capable Legilimens, and he broke through Harry's mind defenses rather quickly, informing the boy that it would take some time before his defenses were strong enough to keep out Legilimens. Harry always ended up with a pounding headache after Regulus used Legilimency on him but had learned to accept it. The first time he had complained, Black had turned to him, lifting an eyebrow and asking him if he'd rather learn from Snape. Harry had paled instantly, thinking of the injuries the vindictive Potions Master would delight in inflicting, and had learned to never mention the headaches again.

"Bollocks," Harry muttered as one of McLaggen's Stunners flew by, dangerously close to his head.

"Impedimenta! Incarcerous!" Both spells zoomed towards McLaggen, who conjured a shield that absorbed the spellfire. The Gryffindor boy's smug grin was wiped off of his face when he was forced to duck and roll to the side to avoid an Expulso curse from Harry.

"Tarantallegra! Petrificus Totalus!" Cormac yelled. "Rictusempra! Stupefy!"

Harry knew he couldn't dodge the last spell in time and conjured a shield with a muttered 'Protego.' His shield, a shimmering bluish green, broke after 4 spells in a row hit it.

It had been more than five minutes, and both duelers were getting tired. Harry knew he had to end the fight soon if he didn't want to find himself Stunned after making a careless mistake.

He had noticed that Cormac rarely paid attention to spells that shot near his feet, instead choosing to dodge and shield against the spells that were aimed higher.

Harry mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. Jumping in the air and twisting to the side, he yelled, "Locomotor Mortis! Confundus! Reducto!" His three spells flew towards McLaggen's torso, causing the other boy to leap out of the way….right into a Stunner. Harry had known McLaggen would be forced to jump to the side and had aimed for the boy's feet, knowing he wouldn't be prepared to defend against such an attack.

McLaggen crumpled to the floor, and his wand fell to the floor. "Expelliarmus," Harry intoned, causing the Gryffindor boy's wand to fly towards his outstretched hand. He presented Professor Black with Cormac's wand and bowed lightly towards the crowd of students, most of which had started cheering for him, delighted that he had won.

Harry stepped off of the platform, spotting his fellow first years.

"Blimey, that was sick!" Draco exclaimed. "The way you got McLaggen was amazing!"

"The overgrown pillock won't be showing his face anytime soon," Blaise said with a snigger.

"Well done." Theo clapped his friend on the back in congratulations.

Five more duels occurred. Draco had been pitted against Ron Weasley, and he had won (Although one of Ron's Stunners had almost broken through the blonde's defenses when Draco was caught up in taunting the other boy).

"This has concluded our first meeting. The next meeting will be next Monday night at 8 o'clock, back here again in the Great Hall. Thank you for coming." Regulus dismissed the students.

The students gradually dispersed, leaving in groups to return to their common rooms.

"Mr. Potter, a word." Harry turned to Regulus.

"You have my congratulations with your win. You discovered a weakness and exploited it successfully. Well done," Regulus said quietly.

Harry smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Professor." His words were sincere, and Black picked up on that.

"Make sure to practice you know what before you sleep every night," Black reminded him before leaving the hall.

Harry headed back to his friends.

"What'd he want?" Blaise inquired.

"Just wanted to say congratulations and all that stuff," Harry said evasively. His friends accepted the explanation, and they returned to the Slytherin common room, exhausted.

That night, Harry fell asleep with a proud smile on his face, knowing he was one step closer to reaching his dream.

XXXXX

"Oi, have you seen my Potions book?" Blaise was searching their dorm frantically.

It was the day they were leaving for the winter holidays, and the Hogwarts Express would be arriving in less than an hour.

"For the fifth time, no we haven't," Draco snapped from where he was sitting with Harry and Theo playing Exploding Snap.

"You know," Theo began casually. "If you hadn't waited until the day we leave to pack, you probably wouldn't be so frantic." Blaise shot him a glare, still searching for his Potions textbook.

Harry just sniggered, causing both Theo and Draco to look at him. He simply pointed at his bed, where the corner of a book was peeking out from under the pillow. Theo and Draco both snickered loudly. Too loudly, because Blaise looked at them, and, seeing how they were all looking at Harry's bed, made his way there.

The three boys saw the moment Blaise realized where his Potions book had been the whole time. He had grabbed it, glowering at Harry. "You!" He had hissed.

"Me," Harry had agreed sweetly.

"You're telling me," Blaise paused deliberately. "That this whole bloody time I was looking for my book, it was under your fucking pillow? And you never told me?"

"That's about it, yeah," Harry replied, nodding his head. Theo was rolling around the floor, laughing, and Draco was almost in tears.

"Fuck you."

XXXXX

The train ride back to King's Cross Station had been long but enjoyable. Neville had joined the four Slytherin boys in their compartment, the same one they had sat in on the way to Hogwarts. The boys had amused themselves by playing a variety of games, joking and laughing.

Soon, they reached the station, and students were getting off of the express, making their way to family members. Neville had instantly headed towards his grandmother, who was wearing a hat with a stuffed vulture on it, saying his goodbyes to the other boys and promising to write and attend the Black Ball, which Sirius would be hosting at Black Manor.

Theo and Blaise had left together, and Harry had caught a glimpse of the Countess, Blaise's mother, chatting amicably with Theo's father.

"Well, it's just us now," Draco commented. "I see Mother and Father. Sirius and your mum are there too."

"Where?" Harry asked, craning his head over the crowd in a futile attempt to see where they were.

Draco snickered at him. "Midget. Follow me." He set off in the direction he had seen his parents, and Harry reluctantly followed him, indignant at being called short.

Harry had seen his mum first. It was hard to miss her dark red hair and emerald eyes. She smiled warmly at her son, and Harry embraced her. "Hi mum," he whispered.

Draco was also embracing his mother, who was fretting over him in a way only mothers do. Harry sniggered, hearing Draco's loud protests at being mothered.

There was one more person Harry had been dying to see: his godfather. Harry turned around, stepping out of his mother's embrace.

Catching sight of Sirius and the wide grin the former Marauder wore on his handsome face, Harry smiled. He was reunited with his friends and family, and he was about to be home.

 **Be on a lookout for Chapter 7, in which Harry celebrates the winter holidays, bad memories come to light, and Harry meets some important people.**


	8. Chapter 7:Revelations and the Black Ball

**Hey guys, this is a bit later than expected (It's been four days since my last upload, I'm sorry). But, nonetheless, here it is. Enjoy.**

It was wonderful to be back home, Harry decided.

He was reclining in a comfy armchair in the drawing room at Black Manor, waiting for Sirius to return. An ancient tome that he had picked out from the vast library was lying on his lap, forgotten for the moment.

It had been three days since they had climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express and returned to their homes. Three days since he'd last seen his friends, who he probably wouldn't see until the Black Ball in two days.

Harry had been a bit surprised and intrigued to hear that the annual Yule Ball, which was usually hosted by the Malfoys at Malfoy Manor, would be hosted by Sirius this year. He had looked at Draco incredulously when the boy had informed him of the fact a week before the holiday break had begun.

"Sirius? Host a ball?" He had asked, both eyebrows reaching dangerous heights.

He adopted an amused smile on his face just as Sirius reentered the room, carrying a bottle of butterbeer in each hand. "I'm back," his godfather exclaimed jovially, before catching sight of Harry's smile. "Knut for your thoughts?"

Sirius handed a butterbeer to Harry, who accepted it gratefully. "Just thinking about the ball that you'll be hosting soon."

Sirius made a face. "Oh that," he said rather distastefully. "Why are you thinking about that, of all things?"

"What made you, of all people, decide to host it this year?" Harry took a sip of his butterbeer.

Sirius snorted. "Believe me, it wasn't exactly my choice. Lucius informed me that hosting the annual Yule Ball this year would, I quote, 'ensure that important people think highly of you.' As if I've ever cared about what some overgrown bigoted pillocks think about me."

"Well," Harry began. "Those overgrown pillocks that you just mentioned are influential members of the Wizengamot and the Ministry. It would be a good thing to have them in your good books."

"Please, half of them can go," Here, Sirius made a rude gesture, causing Harry to snicker.

A thought came to Harry, who voiced it. "And also, since when have you decided to listen to what Lucius says?"

"Since never. Narcissa _coincidentally_ overheard our conversation and insisted I do so. And of course, when your mum heard about it, I knew I was trapped."

"Have you started planning and everything yet?"

"Planning?" Sirius frowned confusedly. "What planning?"

"Well, you know," Harry said vaguely. "The décor, the food, everything a decent ball needs."

"Oh, that. I was going to start in a couple of days."

Harry blinked, wondering if his godfather was being deliberately dense. "Sirius…"

"Hmm?"

"You do realize that the ball is in a couple of days, right?"

"Well, now that you think about it, I think I remember Narcissa saying something like that. Seems familiar, at least." Sirius gave an unconcerned shrug. "I guess I should probably start tomorrow, then."

Harry just sighed, shaking his head ruefully.

XXXXX

"It honestly shouldn't even be considered my ball," Sirius grumbled. "It should be considered Narcissa's."

Lily Potter smiled. "Well, to be fair, she has done a spectacular job," she said, gazing around the magnificent ballroom of Black Manor.

"She didn't let me decide anything," Sirius argued petulantly.

"I wonder why," Harry snarked, entering the ballroom.

Sirius adopted a wounded expression. "My own godson doubting me like that." He wiped an imaginary tear off of his face. "What has the world come to?"

"But bloody hell, did Cissy have to throw such a fit earlier? How am I supposed to know the difference between lavender and magneta?" Sirius complained.

Harry looked up in puzzlement. "There's a difference?"

"Exactly!" His godfather exclaimed. "That's what I said. And then she yelled at me for a good hour."

"Sirius," Lily sighed. "It was only ten minutes."

"Ten minutes, that's basically an hour. And besides, you don't want to be the center of Cissy's anger. She's dangerous, that one." Sirius shuddered dramatically.

"Honestly, Sirius-" Lily began.

"Mum, I think Sirius has a point here. I could hear screaming from the 3rd floor." Harry smirked, remembering the incident in which Sirius had 'royally screwed up,' according to Narcissa Malfoy.

"Well, at least she's gone for now. Something about having to fix a certain idiot's mistakes." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sirius….I think she was talking about you." Sirius fixed his godson with a half-hearted glare. "Thanks for shattering any illusions I had about her not talking about me."

"You're welcome."

Footsteps were heard from the hallway outside of the ballroom, and all three turned their heads towards the doorway, where Draco Malfoy had appeared.

"Hello Potters and Black," Draco greeted briefly, walking towards them. "Mum's done a pretty great job, if I say so myself," he commented, looking around the ballroom.

"Draco, you're early," Harry said a bit tactlessly.

"I'm sure what my son meant to say is that we weren't expecting you for another hour," Lily interjected.

"I apologize for interrupting whatever was going on then," The Malfoy heir drawled. "Mother's been absolutely crazy with preparing for the ball, so I decided to come here earlier. Even Father's been staying away from her."

Harry and Sirius snickered, and Lily cracked a smile. "Your mother can be a formidable woman when she wants to be," Lily said.

"Bloody crazy too," Sirius muttered under his breath. Draco turned to the Black family head.

"Oh and cousin?" He smiled sweetly.

"Yes?" Sirius asked warily.

"I might've forgotten to mention earlier, but Mother says she'll be here soon to make sure you've set everything up correctly and haven't screwed anything up."

Sirius and Harry turned to the corner of the ballroom, where a stack of forgotten decorations laid on the pristine floor. Narcissa had ordered Sirius to put them up before she returned, but the Black Lord and Harry had opted to play a bit of Quidditch and had forgotten about them.

"How long does soon mean?" Sirius asked.

"She said fifteen minutes around ten minutes ago… Good luck, cousin." Draco smirked, leaving the ballroom.

Sirius looked pleadingly at Lily, who raised an eyebrow. "You're on your own, Sirius." She turned and walked out of the ballroom.

Harry tried sneaking out while Sirius was gaping at the retreating back of Lily Potter. "I'll be going now, have to do a few things and find Draco…" He smiled weakly, beginning to back away from Sirius slowly.

"Oh no you don't, pup." Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You're going to help me."

"I respectfully decline," Harry said.

"Harry, I'm your favourite person in the whole world." Sirius ignored Harry's disbelieving snort. "I'm your godfather, too. I've been there for you all your life, and now you're just going to walk away and abandon me when I'm facing death by Narcissa bloody Malfoy?"

Harry took a moment to consider Sirius' words. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Bugger that, you're helping me, end of story."

"Why?"

"Out of the goodness of your wonderful heart."

There was a pause. Sirius added, "I'll owe you a favour, no questions asked."

"Two favours plus a new pack of dungbombs and it's a deal."

"Fine," Sirius agreed. "Your mum's going to kill me."

XXXXX

"We did a great job," Draco commented, sipping on his chilled drink.

"We?" Harry turned to look at his friend, who shrugged. They were standing in a corner of Black Manor's ballroom, watching guests celebrate Yule. Already, many guests had begun dancing, twirling and moving gracefully. Others conversed in low tones, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

"I did help in the beginning," Draco replied.

"Sure," Harry said skeptically.

"It's a right pity Neville can't come," Draco said suddenly.

"It is, but you can't blame him for wanting to be at home when his uncle's ill." Neville had written a letter to Harry, apologizing for not being able to attend the Black Ball because his Uncle Algie was sick.

"That doesn't change the fact that it sucks," Theo, who had snuck up on the pair and heard the end of their conversation, said.

"Theo!" Both Draco and Harry exclaimed.

"We were about to think you weren't going to come," Draco said with a smirk.

Theo scowled. "We're late because of this prat." He jerked his head at Blaise, who was behind him.

"Oi," Blaise protested.

"He changed robes twice and spent a good hour fixing his hair," Theo stage-whispered, causing Draco and Harry to laugh.

"Perfection takes time." Blaise sniffed. "And for the record, I spent less than twenty minutes fixing my hair, thank you very much."

The four boys continued their friendly bantering and talked for a good while, occasionally interrupted by one person or another. Lucius Malfoy was the first interruption of the night, walking powerfully towards the four first years, two other men following behind him.

"Draco, Harry, Theodore, Blaise," drawled the Malfoy Patriarch. "May I introduce you to Mr. Bartemius Crouch Junior and Mr. Augustus Rookwood?"

All four of the boys eyed the newcomers with interest. Draco, having had the most experience with what his father expected, stepped forward. "It is an honour to meet you both, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Rookwood," he proclaimed, shaking their hands. The other three boys followed his example.

"I prefer to be called Barty, if you will," Crouch replied easily, grinning in a way that reminded Harry of a shark. Rookwood smiled warmly, but his eyes remained cold.

"Both Bartemius and myself are Serpents," Rookwood said, his voice harsh. "Which is the reason, I believe, why Lucius dragged us over here to a band of four first years." Lucius nodded gracefully, ignoring Rookwood's blunt words.

Harry and the others looked at the two men with increased respect. Barty cut in before Rookwood could begin to speak again, earning himself a glare from the older Serpent. "I heard you four are the best of your year at Hogwarts," he said casually, tilting his head slightly as he inspected the boys.

"Yes sir, we'd like to think so," Theo replied diplomatically.

"I see. Any interest in joining the Serpents once you lot get out of Hogwarts?" Barty questioned.

"Of course." Harry said quickly. Draco and Blaise nodded their heads in agreement, and Theo joined in too, albeit after a little hesitation.

"We'll keep an eye on you four, then. See if you're good enough to make the cut," Barty said. "Keep your grades up and keep being at the top of your classes."

"Indeed. We'll be watching," Rookwood said. He turned to Lucius. "Now, shall we go greet Yaxley and Jugson? They've arrived." Lucius inclined his head, and the two men headed towards the doorway of the ballroom, Barty lingering behind.

"Now listen, you four, Rookwood's a real berk, but I believe you lot have enough potential to become Serpents."

"When did you join, if you don't mind me asking?" Harry found himself asking the likeable man.

"My sixth year," Barty said, clearly proud of his accomplishment.

"How?" Harry asked. Barty shook his head, bringing a finger to his lips. "That's for me to know, and you to find out, if you ever do," he said gleefully. The sandy-haired man evidently chose to take pity on Harry. He winked conspiratorially. "But I heard a certain Defense Against the Dark Arts Hogwarts Professor also joined during his sixth year. You could bother, I mean ask, him."

"Tried that already," Harry grumbled, causing the other first years to snicker. "He didn't say anything."

"Tough bugger, Black is," Barty agreed. "You could ask him for extra pointers."

"He's giving me extra lessons since around October," Harry replied. "But he still hasn't said anything about the Serpents." His frustration was plain to hear, and Barty smirked.

"He'll come around eventually," he said easily.

"But after how many years?" Blaise muttered, causing Theo to elbow him in the ribs.

"Well," Barty began. "I have to leave you lot. I do believe that Rookwood's been trying to kill me with his eyes only for the past few minutes. Nice meeting you four, and I hope you're successful with whatever you do." The sincerity of his words was clear, and the four first years said their goodbyes to Barty, who left with a wave of his hand.

XXXXX

It was nearing the later hours of the night when a sudden hush filled the ballroom. The four boys turned from where they had been conversing towards the center of the ballroom, where Sirius stood facing a pudgy man who was wringing his hands.

"Why the _hell_ are you here?" Sirius snarled. His hands were clenched into fists. Harry was alarmed. He had never seen Sirius in such a rage.

"I-I wanted to apologize to a f-friend," The man, who Harry and the others didn't recognize, stammered. Harry noticed that he looked a bit like a rat.

Sirius took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down. It didn't work. "Two things, Pettigrew." Sirius all but spat the man's last name. "First, we haven't been friends for a while, and I'm sure as hell not going to start being your friend just because you crashed my ball. Second, there's no fucking way you can ever make up for what you did."

"I did it for us-for you and James," Pettigrew said, looking nervous at facing the furious face of the Black Lord. At hearing his father's name, Harry's head shot up, attention fixed solely on the arguing pair.

"Bullshit," Sirius sneered. "You betrayed us all."

"He was a spy! A spy for the Order of the Phoenix!" Pettigrew cried. "He was a Dark creature!"

"He was our friend first, before any of that," Sirius spoke firmly, voice low. "And you fucking DAMNED HIM TO DIE," Sirius roared, causing the spectators to flinch and Pettigrew to cower.

"I-I what was I to do?" Pettigrew moaned. "I would have been killed for harboring a traitor."

"Pathetic," Draco muttered, and Harry had to agree.

"You could have died for him, just like we would have died for you," Sirius whispered. His face hardened. "And the only traitor was you, Peter. You were weak and forced others to pay for your crimes. You are no friend of mine. Get out." Sirius spat the last two words, gray eyes flashing.

Pettigrew cowered as if Sirius' words had physically hit him. "Sirius," he began, before stopping.

"I believe that it would be in your best interests to leave," Lucius said silkily, walking up to the arguing pair. "Come," he said to Pettigrew, who followed him out of the ballroom.

Sirius glared holes into the back of Pettigrew's head until the latter had left his line of sight. He then shook his head, spinning around to face the guests.

"Well?" Sirius said, smiling widely. "Now that the trash is gone, let's keep celebrating."

XXXXX

(Christmas Eve, Black Manor)

"Sirius?" Harry asked sleepily. Harry had persuaded his mother to let him stay up until Christmas Day with Sirius at Black Manor. It was almost midnight, and Harry had to shake himself awake every so often.

"Yeah, pup?" Sirius yawned.

"Who was that Pettigrew guy the other day, at the ball?" Harry had been waiting a couple of days to ask Sirius that. He hadn't found a good time to do so until now, when both of them were alone at Black Manor.

Sirius stiffened instantly. "Just a person I used to know from Hogwarts." His tone was falsely casual, and Harry could tell that his godfather was uncomfortable. "No one important."

"He mentioned James, my dad," Harry pointed out.

Sirius' face darkened. Harry pressed on, determined to find out what exactly was going on. "Why were you so pissed at him?"

"For one, he wasn't invited, and he showed up," Sirius grumbled. "And he's a back stabbing git."

"Sirius…"

Sirius sighed, looking older than his age. "It's a long story."

"I have time."

"It starts with our Hogwarts days, on our first train ride to the castle. I met all of the other three future Marauders, and we shared a compartment and talked. Your father, Pettigrew, your uncle Moony, and me." Harry listened attentively. Sirius rarely spoke about the former Marauders, except when he was telling him about the various pranks they had pulled during their years at Hogwarts.

"We were brothers, no, closer than brothers. Hell, James and his parents took me in when my family kicked me out my sixth year." Sirius smiled bitterly.

"We swore to have each other's backs, no matter what. The war was just escalating when we graduated. Your parents got married and had you. We visited daily, enjoying the moments when we didn't have to worry about anyone dying." Sirius paused. "And then something happened, and the Order of the Phoenix fled, leaving the Dark Lord and his followers victorious. This was when you were four, maybe five. Voldemort declared that any person found to be a member of the Order, or even in contact with the Order, would be killed." Sirius looked reluctant to continue, but did so anyway.

"They went around at random times to the homes of families that had supported Dumbledore in the war or were light-oriented families. And I guess Pettigrew got cold feet at the last minute. He betrayed us fully that night. He almost killed Moony, the night before your father died."

"Sirius?..." Harry trailed off, unsure if Sirius was going to finish the story. Harry vaguely remembered his Uncle Moony from his early childhood and knew that the man was nice and also intelligent. He had disappeared from Harry's life soon after his father had died, but the boy had never wondered why.

 _"_ _You're my favourite uncle, Uncle Moony!" The four year old boy declared, to the delight of said man, who picked the boy up in his arms, swinging him around. "I'll always be there for you, cub," the man promised, smiling._

Harry blinked, and the memory was gone.

"Pettigrew brought a whole legion of the newly named Serpents to Moony's home, telling them that he was part of the Order. He threw Moony to the wolves," Sirius snorted at the irony of the statement. "Moony was alone at his house but managed to flee in time. He was seriously injured; the official report says he'd been hit with a blood boiling curse, two bone-breakers, and a few cutting-curses and more. He almost bloody died, Harry, because one of his fucking brothers chose to sacrifice him to save his own life."

Sirius fell silent, giving Harry a few moments to think. A thought struck him. "I've never heard of Moony being an Order member, and all of the known Order members have public profiles in the Ministry records," Harry said, willing to doubt the fact that his favourite uncle had turned rogue with the Order.

Sirius laughed, the sound rough and unpleasant compared to his normal infectious laugh. "Don't tell me you think his name's actually Moony." His eyes widened, taking in his godson's blank face. "Oh Merlin's balls, you do." He paused. "Prongs, Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail. Those were our Marauder names. I was Padfoot," Sirius added proudly.

Harry frowned in concentration. "Prongs was my father, and I'm pretty sure Wormtail is Pettigrew." He received confirmation from Sirius, who nodded.

"Then what's Moony's real name?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"Remus Lupin."

XXXXX

It had been two days since Sirius' startling revelation, and Harry still couldn't quite believe it. His Uncle Moony was Remus Lupin, werewolf and member of the Order of the Phoenix, the vigilante group that had killed his father.

"Fucking hell," he thought. He had expressed similar thoughts the other night, only with a few more choice words mixed in.

What had his uncle been _thinking_? The Order of the bloody Phoenix killed one of his best friends.

 _I guess Pettigrew wasn't the only traitor that night,_ Harry thought bitterly.

He shook his head, emptying his mind of all unpleasant thoughts for next few hours. He was back at Black Manor, visiting Sirius while his mother was visiting her muggle relatives. Harry scowled when he thought about his mother's relatives.

Harry's mum, Lily Potter, was a kind and gentle woman, who was also daring, loving, and intelligent. The Dursleys, her sister's family, were polar opposites.

In Harry's opinion, the whole family should've been wiped off of the face of the earth a while ago. Vernon Dursley, the husband of Petunia Dursley, was a whale of a man, and was unpleasant and hated all things related to magic. Petunia Dursley, Lily's sister, was petty and cruel, always looking for ways to ruin the reputations of others. Harry's fist clenched when he recalled all the moments she had insulted her own sister when Harry was present. And lastly, Dudley Dursley was a fat fucking bastard. He had made the mistake once of trying to beat up Harry with his group of equally large and unpleasant boys and had paid the price. Harry had burned his arm, causing the blonde boy to develop a slew of 3rd degree burns. After that notable incident, Harry hadn't been allowed to go with Lily on her yearly visits to the Dursley residence on Privet Drive, much to the relief of the Potter scion.

Harry once again forcefully shook himself out of his thoughts. His Occlumency training had begun to help him greatly with clearing his mind of all unwanted thoughts quickly, and the boy made a mental note to thank Professor Black when he returned to Hogwarts.

"Sirius?" Harry called, unsure of where exactly his godfather was in the manor.

"The tapestry room," came Sirius' answering shout.

Harry hurriedly made his way to the tapestry room, where Sirius was standing near the wall, inspecting the Black family tree. "Hullo, pup," the man said without turning to look at his godson.

"Sirius," Harry replied easily in greeting, moving towards his godfather, an unspoken question on his lips.

"I always come here, every year after Christmas." Sirius laughed softly. "Remembering all of the family members, including the unpleasant ones."

Harry inched forward, craning his neck slightly to see. Sirius moved slightly, allowing Harry to have a better view of the family tree.

"There you are," Harry said, pointing to Sirius' portrait, noticing black burn marks around the edges, as if it had been replaced after being burnt off.

"Did you know, my parents, may they burn forever in hell, blasted me off of this when I ran away during my sixth year?" Sirius said casually, running his hand down the tapestry. "And then, when I became the head of the Black Family after they died, magic replaced the portrait?"

"No, I didn't," Harry answered.

Sirius snickered. "My parents, especially my mum, the old hag, must be rolling in their graves now."

Harry smiled weakly before something caught his attention. Under the portraits of the witch named Druella Black nee Rosier and Cygnus Black were the portraits of three witches.

"Oi," Harry exclaimed. "Cissy's here!" He pointed at the picture of his best friend's mother.

"Yep," Sirius agreed. "And here's the bi- Bellatrix." Harry raised an eyebrow, knowing what Sirius had been about to say before he had caught himself. "2nd in command of the Serpents," he commented, hearing a grunt and a mumble of something derogatory in reply.

"Sounds like the bint," Sirius smiled, ignoring the incredulous look his godson sent his way.

"But who's this?" Harry frowned, looking at the last portrait. "Andromeda Tonks," he read. "Why haven't I heard of her before?"

"She was my favourite cousin," Sirius said.

"Was?" Harry questioned.

"I haven't seen her in a few years," Sirius admitted. "She doesn't like the people I regularly find myself in the company of."

"What do you mean?" Harry was a bit confused at Sirius' evasive answer.

"Well, she married Ted Tonks, a muggle, going against the wishes of her parents and basically everyone else in the Black Family."

Harry winced, instantly feeling sympathy for the witch at what she probably experienced as a result of her actions. "I take it they didn't take it too well?"

Sirius snorted. "That's an understatement. She was disowned and everything. Aunt Druella and Uncle Cygnus and my old hag of a mum were furious. A daughter of the House of Black, marrying a lowly mudblood? They couldn't have that, could they?" Harry noticed Sirius' voice had turned bitter.

"Did you know, they have a daughter," Sirius said, his tone lightening. "Nymphadora Tonks. Six years older than you."

Harry was intrigued. "Is that her portrait over here?" He pointed to the blackened portrait under Andromeda Tonks' name.

"Yeah, unless Andi had another kid without telling me."

Harry laughed, stepping back from the tapestry and turning around towards the table. He noticed a photo album wide open on the oak table. "Oi, Sirius?" Harry began, not taking his eyes off of the photos displayed.

"Hmm?"

"Is this them? The Tonks family?" Sirius moved next to Harry, eyes looking at the same page of photographs depicting a family of three around a Christmas tree, all smiling and laughing.

"Yeah it is. This was when Dora was around eight, I think." The photo Dora stuck out her tongue at Sirius, making Harry snicker. Harry abruptly stopped, eyes widening, when he saw Tonks' hair change from black to blue to pink within the span of three seconds.

"Umm, Sirius? I think there's something wrong with the photos."

Sirius glanced at the photo Harry was looking at. "I don't see anything wrong," he said with a frown.

"Her bloody hair changed colours twice."

"That's it? I was expecting more," Sirius muttered, causing his godson to look at him inquisitively.

"She's a Metamorphmagus," Sirius explained. "She can change any part of her appearance whenever she wants. She likes changing her hair to unusual colours, if she's still like the Tonks I saw a few years ago."

"That's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, thinking of what havoc he could cause if he were a Metamorphmagus.

"For pranks, especially," Sirius agreed.

"So what's she doing now?" Harry asked.

"Tonks? Last I heard, she was planning on joining the Aurors."

Harry would have planned on joining the Aurors if he wasn't set on becoming a Serpent. His father and Sirius had both been Aurors, and he knew that, like the Serpents, it was a job that only accepted the best of the best.

"Before I forget again, I need to talk about something with you." Sirius's serious tone caused Harry to become a bit wary. Sirius took Harry's silence as 'go ahead and continue.'

"I heard that you've been taking lessons from old Reggie, my brother," he began conversationally. "Even though he's a Serpent and what a 'true' Black is supposed to be, blood purist and all."

Harry gulped. He had known back when he first began his defense lessons with Regulus that Sirius would have found out eventually. The question had been when. He just wanted it to be a few more years later, not now.

"I-" He began, trying to find ways to defend his decision.

Sirius interrupted him. "I told you, stay away from any Serpents you might see at Hogwarts, especially my biological git of a brother. Now I find out, from Lucius Malfoy of all people, that you've been taking extra lessons."

"I can explain, if you'd actually give me the chance," Harry snapped.

Sirius took a deep breath. "Go on, then."

"You heard about what happened back in October, right?" Sirius hesitated before nodding. "Podmore was on Hogwarts grounds, no?"

"He was, and he managed to sneak up on me and forced me to go to that old hut near the Care of Magical Creatures area. He had a 'little chat' with me before deciding that he had to Stun me and leave. I only managed to overpower him because of sheer luck and the fact that he underestimated me. I was bloody defenseless, Sirius, and I couldn't do shit. I didn't know any good offensive spells or anything. That's why I'm learning from your brother."

Sirius had known that Podmore had snuck onto the grounds, but he hadn't known that his godson had been in so much danger. "Bloody hell, Harry. Why does this always happen to you?"

"That's what Blaise always asks me," Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So how'd you manage to beat him?" Sirius was honestly curious.

"I threw him into a wall and then levitated a sledgehammer and dropped it on his head."

Sirius gaped at his godson disbelievingly. "The fuck?"

"Yeah, I got that a lot." Harry shrugged again.

"How'd you- never mind, I don't want to know." Sirius paused. "Wait, why were you outside of the castle in the first place?"

"Neville and Hermione Granger were outside taking a walk, and they didn't know about the intruder. We wanted to tell them and get them back into the castle."

"Gryffindor, much?"

"Stuff it."

"Look, Harry," Sirius said with a sigh. "I guess after hearing that I really can't ban you from going to these defense lessons with my brother. Knowing you, you wouldn't listen anyways." Harry had to concede that his godfather was probably right. "I just hope you don't do anything stupid, and that you've been actually learning something."

"I have," Harry began, before Sirius put his hand up, motioning him to stop talking.

"We'll find out in the summer. I'll be doing some lessons of my own. After all, I can't have my younger brother showing me up, can I?" He winked. Harry grinned.

"Thanks, Padfoot," he said earnestly. Sirius nodded and then scowled. "Don't expect me to start being nice to him anytime soon," the Black Lord warned. "He may be your new defense professor, but he's still a git."

Harry snorted. That was an understatement.

"A great, royal git."

XXXXX

"So, how was your vacation to Italy, Blaise?" Draco Malfoy drawled.

They were on the Hogwarts Express once again, heading back to the castle after two weeks of break.

Blaise shrugged noncommittally. "It was fine. Went to historical places. Met important people. Almost died. The usual." Harry cocked an eyebrow. Knowing Blaise, he was being entirely serious.

"Almost died?" Theo asked the Italian.

"I was sparring with a few other guys. One of the guys accidentally got me in the neck with his sword."

Harry winced. "That must have sucked."

"It wasn't that bad. Spent a few hours in the hospital," Blaise said. "Bled a lot, though," he added, almost as an afterthought. He turned to Harry. "So how was your break, after the Black Ball?"

"It was great," Harry said simply.

"Anything interesting happen?" Theo questioned.

"Not really." Harry blinked. "I found out that Remus Lupin was my honorary uncle, but nothing important."

There was absolute silence in the compartment for a long moment. Harry counted in his head _. One, two, three, four…_

"What" Draco began.

"The hell?" Blaise finished.

Harry snickered. "Careful, you're starting to sound like the Weasley twins."

Draco shuddered. "That was too far."

Theo eyed Draco and Blaise, nodding to himself. "Add the red hair in, and I can kind of see it," he said, smirking.

"Moving on," Draco said, interrupting whatever Harry was about to say. "Remus Lupin? As in the Order member and the werewolf?"

"Yep. That's what I said to Sirius when I found out."

"I thought your only uncle was your uncle Moony?" Theo asked, confused. "Unless…"

"Yep. Uncle Moony turned out to be Remus Lupin."

"Damn." Blaise's one word answer summed up how the others were feeling.

"So how were your breaks," Harry asked Theo and Draco. "We've heard about mine and Blaise's."

Whatever Draco had been about to say was cut off by the opening of the compartment door. Standing in the doorway was Cormac McLaggen and two of his friends, who Harry recognized as two other Gryffindors.

Harry tensed, subtly drawing his wand.

"Malfoy, Potty, snakes," Cormac said. The other two Gryffindors sniggered loudly at Cormac's uncreative insults.

"McLaggen and friends," Draco said, his tone distasteful.

"Do you not know my friends' names? I'll introduce you," Cormac began.

"What do you want," Blaise said in a bored voice, abruptly cutting Cormac off. Theo snickered.

"That bloody duel at the first Dueling Club meeting was a hoax, and you know it, Potter," the older boy spat, glaring daggers at Harry, who tilted his head. "How so?"

"You bloody managed to beat me."

"Well, if you're looking for how I did it, it was relatively easy," Harry smirked, to the growing ire of the Gryffindor boy.

"You bloody cheated, that's how. That's all you slimey snakes ever do to win."

"Oh really?" Theo asked dangerously.

"McLaggen, you're delusional. I beat you fair and square, in front of an entire audience. You're just being a git right now." Harry was growing irritated at the Gryffindor boy.

"Kindly leave, if you will," Draco said.

"And never come back," Blaise muttered.

Cormac sneered. "I challenge you to a wizard's duel at Hogwarts. No seconds. Just me and you."

"I accept," Harry said immediately.

"Good. We'll talk about the terms later. Prepare to be beaten and humiliated, snake." And with that, Cormac and his entourage left, shutting the compartment door behind them with a slam.

"What a pompous prick," Blaise spat, looking at the space where Cormac had stood a moment ago.

"You'd better beat him, Harry," Draco said, looking at the black-haired boy, who nodded.

"And embarrass him," Blaise chimed in.

"Be careful though," Theo warned. "Don't get too cocky. You saw what happened in Weasley's and Draco's duel that night. Weasley almost got him."

"Hey, that was once," Draco protested. "And besides, McLaggen's an overconfident pillock."

"As much as I hate having to agree with Draco, he's right about that. McLaggen isn't as good as he thinks he is."

"So, did you guys finish that Herbology essay?" Theo inquired.

Harry grimaced. That essay had been the worst assignment they had ever had from Sprout, who normally assigned much easier homework. The essay had taken him a good five hours, and he had had to ask Sirius and his mum for help. "Yep, took a while though."

"Annoying bugger, it was," Draco said, making a face.

Blaise, who had been quiet, now spoke up. "What essay are we talking about here?"

Three incredulous looks were sent his way. "You know," Harry waved his hand vaguely.

"No, I don't know, otherwise I wouldn't be asking," Blaise bit out.

"The Herbology essay Sprout assigned us after our last lesson of the term about the properties of various magical roots," Theo spoke slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child.

Blaise scowled. "Did that lesson happen to be the Herbology lesson I had to skip after having to go to the hospital wing because some prat thought it'd be funny to screw up my potion in Potions class?"

Draco sniggered. "It was too funny to pass up."

"You, you ponce," Blaise snarled, and the two boys began arguing. Harry and Theo just looked at each other.

"I honestly hope stupidity isn't contagious," Theo muttered.

"Don't worry, if it is, you'd have already gotten it from one of these idiots," Harry responded, jerking his head towards Draco and Blaise.

Draco turned around. "Oi," he protested.

Blaise didn't even respond, busy digging out some parchment and his Herbology textbook to start the essay.

 **Next: Chapter 8, which marks the end of Harry's first year at Hogwarts.**


	9. Chapter 8: Loose Ends

**Enjoy.**

Harry cursed as he was forced to dive to the ground, a purple curse flashing past where his head had just been. He had no doubts that said curse would have caused some unpleasant effects.

Across the room, his tormentor stood, tall and proud, untouched from the few spells Harry had managed to send his way.

Regulus Black laughed. "Is that all you can do, boy?" He taunted his young charge. Harry gritted his teeth and swore yet again. There was almost nothing he wouldn't do to shut the bastard up.

A curse speed past him, forcing Harry to roll to the left, right into another curse, the same colour as the first one. Harry identified both of them as Cutting curses and winced when the second one connecting, slicing through his robes into his arm.

"We don't have all day, Harry," Regulus drawled, sounding bored.

Harry didn't know what to do. He didn't have many options to choose from, truly. _Let's see, my opponent is my very capable and ruthless Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who knows more spells than I do and has more experience in dueling situations like this. Any forward dueling approaches will fail. He also knows Legilimency, so I can't stare directly into his eyes (Harry had found out that Regulus held no qualms about using the mind arts in duels after an earlier lesson that had left Harry was a raging headache). And if I keep just trying to survive by dodging, I'm going to get hit eventually._

"Well, fuck," Harry muttered, having drawn the conclusion that he might be screwed. Unless… Harry began to smile when he realized he still had one option: trickery. He couldn't overpower Regulus in any way, but if he could make the professor underestimate him and then surprise him, well, he stood a chance.

The problem was, Regulus wasn't exactly giving him ample time to think and come up with a plan. Harry knew the professor was going easier on him, but it still didn't change the fact that he was far more competent than Harry was.

In short, Harry needed a distraction, something that would give him enough time to proceed with his plan. He took cover behind the chair Regulus had banished his way earlier.

 _"_ _And then one of the Slytherins saw us, and we had to escape. James, your father, conjured up a flock of birds and sent them towards the poor git. I've never heard someone shriek as loud as that boy did." Sirius grinned at his godson._

 _"_ _What was it?" The small boy asked._

 _"_ _What was what, pup?"_

 _"_ _The spell my dad used- the one that conjured the birds."_

 _"_ _Avis. It's a charm that conjures a flock of birds." Sirius demonstrated the wand motion to his eager godson._

 _"_ _Don't be messing around Potter Manor with that spell," Sirius said with a wink. "Your mum'll murder me."_

 _The boy smiled. "Thanks, Padfoot."_

Harry snapped out of the memory. He had a distraction, and he knew how to use it. The question was, would his plan work?

Not wasting any time, Harry raised his wand in Regulus' direction and hissed, "Avis." A flock of birds flew straight at Regulus, who cursed, having not expected it. Harry estimated that he had maybe ten seconds to get his plan going.

"Fumos," he whispered, and the room soon filled with smoke, making it near impossible for anyone to see. His eyes landed upon the chair next to him, and he concentrated hard.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he muttered, pointing his wand at the chair, causing it to shakily levitate. He willed it to go as high as it could and as close to Regulus as he could make it (He only knew the general direction of Regulus' location; the smoke made it impossible for him to see exactly where the professor was).

The smoke in the classroom abruptly vanished, and Regulus stepped mere meters in front of Harry. "Time's up, Harry." The professor twirled his wand in his hand. "You've lost."

Harry raised his head, willing the chair to position itself above Regulus' head. "Oh really, Professor?" He smirked, and Regulus immediately knew something was wrong.

The defense professor glanced surreptitiously to his right and left. _Nothing there…and Potter's right in front of me. And there's nothing behind me, which leaves…oh BUGGER._

Regulus Black looked upwards and his eyes widened as Harry let go of the chair, causing it to drop down towards Regulus.

Regulus' fast reflexes saved him from the dropping projectile. He instinctively casted another levitating charm, stopping the chair from falling. In doing this, he took his eyes off of Harry for a few seconds, which was all the young boy needed.

"Stupefy! Incarcerous! Expelliarmus!" He shouted the spells in rapid succession. Regulus, distracted momentarily by the chair, was unconscious, bound, and wandless.

Harry walked over to where the still form of his defense professor had crumpled to the ground. He was intent on paying Regulus back for all of the professor's jeers and taunts during the matches, and all sorts of taunts were on the verge of coming out of his mouth. Then, Harry paused as a sudden thought struck him.

He paled. In all of his lessons, Regulus had never covered any countercurses yet. And Harry didn't know how to wake his professor up from his unconscious state due to the Stupefy spell.

"Bugger," Harry sighed, wondering what he should do. A part of him debated whether to just leave the professor there and exit the classroom. It would definitely serve him right, the bastard, Harry thought. The more reasonable side of him discarded the idea after a long moment of thinking about what sort of punishment Regulus would inflict upon him after he regained consciousness.

Harry sighed resignedly and began to walk out of the classroom, making his way towards the Potions classroom and wondering what Snape would say when Harry asked him how to revive a person who had been hit by a Stunner.

He just hoped the Potions professor and Regulus, once he was revived, would let him visit the Hospital Wing before yelling at him.

XXXXX

"I must say, when we began these mock duels, I certainly didn't expect anything like that," Regulus said neutrally.

Harry shrugged. "You weren't supposed to. That was the point."

The two of them were sitting in Regulus' office, talking about their latest duel. Regulus liked doing this after every meeting to ensure that Harry knew what he could have done better, what he did do well, and where he could have done something differently. Regulus was big on learning something from everything they did.

Regulus snorted. "To be fair, I should have guessed you would have done something like this. I knew what you did to Podmore, but I didn't prepare for it. I underestimated you and paid the price."

Harry grunted noncommittedly, not exactly sure how he was supposed to respond.

"You did well," Regulus told the boy, and his sincerity was obvious. Harry knew the professor's praise was sought after and rare to receive, so he smiled a genuine smile at the professor. "Thank you."

"Except one thing," Regulus said with a scowl. "Did you really have to use a chair?"

Harry was caught off guard with the odd question and replied as eloquently as he could. "Huh?"

Regulus chose to ignore his pupil and continued. "If that had landed where you had directed it to land, I would have, in the best case scenario, had a horrible headache for days and, in the worst case scenario, been sent to the Hospital Wing with internal injuries." He saw that Harry was about to say something and interrupted him.

"And don't tell me it was an accident; I saw you aiming for my head, and your aim's not that bad." Harry shut his mouth. "Oops," the boy said rather insincerely, fighting back a snigger.

"And also, did you really have to find Snape to revive me?" Regulus asked drily.

"We never covered any counter spells, and I didn't know how to undue the effects of a Stunner," Harry said. "So I decided to get another professor who undoubtedly knew."

"That doesn't explain Snape's worse than usual mood," Regulus commented, looking at the young boy.

"I might have said I almost hit you in the head with a chair before Stunning you, and that I used a spell before learning the proper counter spell. Or, it could be that I'm the son of James Potter and the godson of Sirius Black. It does get hard to decide what Snape's angry at every time."

Regulus snorted. "I'm surprised he didn't curse you or even hex you."

"He wanted to," Harry replied charmingly. "But he knew that I knew that he was brewing a set of difficult potions that cannot be shook violently or similarly disturbed. And he knew that I wasn't going to hesitate in telling the Weasley twins to wreak havoc there."

"They wouldn't hesitate either," Regulus muttered. "Real brats, they are."

Harry just smiled widely. Regulus spoke again as another thought struck him. "And what's this I heard about a duel with Mr. McLaggen?"

"Oh that," Harry replied dismissively. "The overconfident blighter wanted to duel me again in an effort to avenge himself from my cheating, Slytherin ways that night on the first meeting of the Dueling Club that led to me defeating him in front of an entire audience."

"You'd better win," Regulus said seriously. Harry nodded. "Draco and the others will kill me if I don't."

"McLaggen's better than average, but you're the better duelist by far. He tends to rely on power to overwhelm his opponents," Regulus warned. "Have the terms of the duel been finalized yet?"

Harry shook his head. "All I know is that there won't be any seconds. It's just me and him."

Regulus scoffed. "I expect you to perform admirably."

"Of course, Professor. When have I ever let you down?" Harry challenged.

Regulus raised an eyebrow but didn't answer the question. "I think it's time for you to leave." Harry rose out of his seat and made his way to the classroom door. He stopped in the doorway.

"So professor," he began. "How'd it feel to be beaten by an eleven year old?" Harry smiled cheekily.

"Get out, brat."

XXXXX

Harry really needed to stop getting into these situations. It really wasn't good for his health. He took a deep breath.

"So, do you two mind explaining why exactly we're on the run from Snape? And why we're hiding in an abandoned classroom?" His question was met by the matching smirks the Weasley twins wore.

"Well, young Harrikins," Fred (or was it George) began.

"We paid a visit," the other continued.

"To the potions classroom earlier."

"And decided to pay our respects to Professor Snape." Harry's heart began to sink. Whatever the twins had done, it wasn't going to be good for him.

"And we noticed that he was brewing a new set of potions," the second twin continued.

"And we remembered hearing from our older brother Bill," the first one said.

"That some potions react violently to being shook." Harry closed his eyes.

"Let me guess, you guys waited until Snape left the classroom and went in and shook some of them." Harry's voice was resigned.

To his surprise, the first twin shook his head. "Of course not! Who do you think we are?"

Harry felt hope rising inside of him. "You mean.."

"What my dear brother of mine means, is that we didn't shake some of them, we shook all of them," the second one interrupted his brother smoothly.

 _Oh, no, no, no. He was so screwed,_ Harry thought as the twins continued their tale.

"And then Snape comes in."

"The great git," the second twin added with a snigger.

"And he sees us shaking the last few."

"And gets royally pissed off."

"But the funny part is."

"He didn't yell 'WEASLEYS' like he normally does."

Harry rubbed his temple.

"No, he yelled 'POTTER.'"

"So we decided to make a break for it and find you."

"To warn you and everything."

"Out of the goodness of our kind hearts," one of the twins finished, looking as though he was expecting praise from Harry.

There was a pause, in which Harry tried to desperately reign in his temper. Opening his eyes, he was greeted to the view of the twin smirks the Weasleys wore, and he lost it.

"So you're telling me," Harry began in a suspiciously calm voice. "That Snape is currently on a warpath for all three of us, and because of this, you decided to stop me from attending History of Magic, a class I could have used as extra sleep time, to tell me?"

The twins looked at each other before nodding in unison. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Prats," Harry grumbled.

"I suppose we do deserve that," one of the twins said. "Although, if you don't mind us asking, why did Snape yell Potter instead of Weasleys? I don't think we look that much alike, if I'm honest with you. But then, you could be adopted…"

Harry sighed, shaking his head in despair. "He knew that I knew that he was brewing a set of very volatile potions that would react violently if shook. I suppose he thinks I told you two that particular piece of information."

Both Weasleys snickered. "He seemed to be in a pretty foul mood."

"Thanks, guys, cause I didn't have enough to worry about," Harry bit out.

The Weasley twins exchanged another look. "Look, we're sorry we dragged you into this mess," one began. Harry snorted disbelievingly. "Okay, we really aren't," the twin corrected himself. "But we have something to show you that might make up for that."

Despite himself, Harry was interested. The twin on the right dug out something from his bookbag and presented it to Harry. "Ta da!" Both Weasleys grinned.

"It's an old piece of parchment," Harry deadpanned, looking at said parchment.

The twins wore identical expressions of dismay. "And to think we had such high hopes for you," one said in a fake mournful voice. "This," he pointed at the parchment. "Is the Marauder's Map, the greatest best friend a pair of pranksters could ask for."

Harry's head shot up. Sirius had mentioned the Marauder's Map many times when telling stories about the Marauder's Hogwarts days, but he had told Harry that the map had, regretfully, been lost after being confiscated at the end of their seventh year.

 _Sirius will be ecstatic to know that it's now in the hands of another generation of pranksters_ , Harry thought amusedly.

Deciding to play dumb, Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Twin One mock glared at the younger boy, hearing the skeptical note in his voice. The other twin raised his wand, and, pointing at the parchment, intoned, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry watched as the piece of parchment came to life. "Impressive," he commented.

"More than impressive, I'd think," one of the twins replied.

"So this is how you two knew where to find me," Harry said, neither questioning nor stating it.

Twin Two nodded his head. "It's taught us more than all of our professors here at Hogwarts." Harry didn't really know what to make out of that statement; he was sure Sirius would be delighted.

"And we've decided to give it to you as a way to repay you," Twin One said.

Harry's jaw dropped. When the twins had pulled out of the map, he had expected them to just show it to him and maybe let him use it occasionally. He hadn't expected them to actually give it to him.

"Are you serious?" Harry blurted out.

"My dear Harrikins," one twin began.

"When are we ever not serious?" the other finished with a grin. "We've memorized everything we needed already, so now the map's yours."

"Make Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail proud of you," Twin one said.

Harry snorted. Knowing that the twins must have had some degree of trust in him to give them the precious map, he decided to reciprocate said trust. "Do you know who Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail are?" he said casually.

Twin two shook his head. "We've managed to figure out all of the map's secrets except for that. Why?"

"Well, Padfoot's my godfather, Prongs is my dad, Moony is an Order member, and Wormtail is a Ministry employee."

Both twins were stunned, and they took a few moments to work out the identities of the four Marauders.

"Wait, so you're telling me that Padfoot's Sirius Black and Prongs is James Potter," Twin one said, receiving an answering nod from Harry.

"But then who are Moony and Wormtail?" The other twin spoke up, confused.

"Moony is Remus Lupin and Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew," Harry said, waiting for the twins' reactions. He wasn't disappointed.

"No way," Twin one exclaimed. "Bugger," the other muttered.

"Anyways, we gotta run," Twin one told Harry. "We're setting up another prank with Lee." He handed the treasured Marauder's Map to Harry, who took it carefully and adoringly, as if it were a newborn baby.

"Take good care of our best friend." Twin two pretended to sniffle.

"I will," Harry promised.

"Well then, we're going to go," Twin one said while glancing at the doorway of the classroom. "Are you sure you'll be okay with Snape still mad at you?"

Harry assured him he would, in fact, be fine.

"What's your next class?" Twin one asked curiously.

"Herbology," Harry muttered absentmindedly as he glanced down at the map. He promptly swore. Standing next to the greenhouses where Herbology was taught was a golden dot marked with the name Severus Snape.

"You know, it's not a good thing that Snape knows your schedule, even if he's your Head of House," one of the twins informed Harry.

"Oh believe me, I know," Harry grumbled.

XXXXX

"Are you serious?" Harry blurted out, eyes wide in shock.

Regulus Black just stared at his young charge with an expression that said _Really?_

Harry blushed at his outburst. He honestly hadn't meant to speak, but his mouth had acted before his brain had reigned it in. His Gryffindor side, as Blaise and Draco called it, had appeared.

"Yes, Potter, I'm quite serious," Regulus drawled lazily. "Your duel with Cormac McLaggen will be held during the Ending Ceremony Tournament this year."

Even after hearing Professor Black reiterate it once more, Harry couldn't believe his luck. The Ending Ceremony Tournament (ECT for short), established after the end of the war, occurred at the end of every year at Hogwarts. It was a dueling competition for sixth and seventh years in which the champion was almost always guaranteed to be able to choose any career they wanted to follow. Before the actual tournament, there were a few duels from the younger years, and Harry was honoured that he would participate in one of those duels.

Many Ministry workers, Serpents, and other influential witches and wizards often visited Hogwarts to watch the tournament. And, if recent rumours proved to be true, Emperor Riddle himself would be attending as well.

 _It was a wonderful opportunity to show off his talent_ , Harry mused, _but could also result in horrifying embarrassment if he somehow lost to McLaggen._

Harry blinked, realizing that Regulus was expecting a response or some kind of acknowledgement. "Why?" His question was blunt, and he winced reflexively.

"Headmaster Carrow wanted to showcase a duel from our first two years to see how much they've learned. Personally, I wouldn't trust first or second years to do anything correctly with a wand, but Carrow thinks you two will do fine." Regulus paused. "Or at least, he thinks it'll be good entertainment."

Harry fought back an indignant scowl. Regulus noticed and arched an eyebrow. "I fully expect you to come out on top," Regulus warned.

"Have the terms of the duel been decided?" Harry voiced the question that had been bothering him.

His defense professor nodded. "Standard European dueling tournament rules. No seconds. Your opponent must be unconscious or surrender for you to win."

"So if he's wandless, I still have to Stun him or something?" Regulus nodded once more.

"I'd spend the time you have at yours hands before your duel practicing and learning new spells," Regulus advised his young charge. "Even if you think you could beat McLaggen right now, it never hurts to be prepared." Harry found himself agreeing with his professor and vowed to dedicate some extra time to preparing for the duel.

"Now, let's move on." Regulus straightened his already straight back. "Let's see how well your Occlumency shields are progressing." He narrowed his eyes at Harry, who felt confused at what his professor meant for a split second before he felt the light probe of Legilimency, and extreme pain exploded in his head.

XXXXX

"You're so bloody lucky," Draco told Harry as they walked to the Great Hall. Blaise and Theo had left them behind in Transfiguration, opting to return to the Slytherin dorms first before going to the Great Hall.

"I know," Harry replied. They walked down one of Hogwarts' magical staircases, and Harry was careful not to step in the wrong place. They were one corridor from the Great Hall when it happened.

Harry stiffened, instinctively sensing danger. Trust your instincts was the first lesson Regulus had beaten into him, and he slowly drew his wand, motioning for Draco to do the same.

He turned abruptly behind him just in time to see a trio of spells zooming towards him. "Protego," he snarled, and a shimmering shield popped into existence, defending him (and Draco) from the slew of spells.

He heard a muffled curse as his assailants fled, running down the adjacent corridor. Draco tensed, intent on following the attackers, but Harry held up a hand. He didn't want to run into an unfamiliar corridor where there could be an ambush waiting for them.

Draco sent him a questioning glance, and Harry motioned for them to begin walking towards the Great Hall. "Later," he muttered, still glancing periodically behind him for any sign of impending danger. Draco nodded shortly, angry about the attack.

They walked in silence the rest of the way and made their way to the Slytherin table. Blaise spotted them before Theo did, and inclined his head casually. "Look what the cat dragged in," Blaise began, smirking, before he noticed the expressions on his two friends' faces. Draco had his impeccably blank mask in place, but Harry was not as talented with masking his emotions, and Blaise could tell something was wrong. Theo, who had been looking down at his Transfiguration notes for the day, shot his head up, fixing his gaze on Harry and Draco.

Harry slid into his usual seat next to Theo. "We were attacked from the back a few minutes ago," he informed his other two friends, reaching for a plate of delicious smelling food.

"A couple of buggers thought it would be funny to shoot a few spells at our backs and then run for it," Draco explained, seeing how Theo and Blaise were a bit confused at Harry's short explanation. Blaise swore.

"Did you see what spells they used," Theo demanded.

Draco shook his head. "Not all of them; I only recognized two of them. One was a Stunner and the other was a Blasting Curse."

"The other was a full body bind," Harry put in.

Blaise winced. "That Blasting Curse would've hurt, and the other two would leave you defenseless against whoever attacked you."

"Thanks for informing us of the obvious," Draco drawled. Blaise scowled at the blonde.

"Did you see who they were?" Theo pressed on, ignoring Blaise, who was still scowling at Draco.

"No," Harry replied. "Although if I did, they'd be in a world of hurt." He muttered the last sentence under his breath, but the other three still heard him.

"Draco?" Theo questioned, seeing how the boy had been unusually silent.

"I think I know who they were," he said slowly. "I'm not sure, mind you," he added hastily. "But I'm pretty sure it was Kennedon and Falloway."

Harry grimaced, knowing that did not bode well for him. Erik Kennedon and Rorrin Falloway, both Gryffindors, were Cormac McLaggen's best mates, and for them to try attacking Harry a few weeks before his duel with McLaggen…

"Those two bastards were trying to make sure you were an easy win for McLaggen," Draco spat furiously, gray eyes flashing. Harry nodded his head, having come to that particular conclusion himself. He glanced at the Gryffindor table, where McLaggen was sitting alone without his usual two mates.

"Sabotage," Theo muttered, glaring at the Gryffindor table.

"Say," Blaise said conversationally. "It would be a right pity if something were to happen to those two, wouldn't it?" Three heads swiveled to face him.

Harry arched an eyebrow, silently asking Blaise to explain his thoughts.

"Maybe it's about time you call in a favour with the Weasel twins," Blaise said with a grimace. "They are rather good at humiliation, even if they are Weasleys and Gryffindors."

A smile made its way onto Harry's face. "Yeah, I think I will."

Two days later, Kennedon and Falloway were in the Hospital Wing for what seemed to be at least a week long stay, courtesy of the Weasley twins, who had solemnly vowed to "prank the hell" out of them for Harry.

XXXXX

The day of the Ending Ceremony Tournament was here, and Harry was pacing around the classroom Draco and the others had dragged him into. Every now and then, Draco shot Harry an irritated look, annoyed at his constant pacing, but chose to not speak up.

Finally, Blaise couldn't ignore what his nervous friend was doing. "Cut it out," he snapped, but he instantly regretted his words when Harry shot him a remorseful look.

"Relax mate, you're not going to lose," Blaise reassured his friend in a more gentle tone.

"Bloody hell, this is stressful," Harry muttered, taking a seat on one of the desks. "One wrong move, and I won't be able to show my face in years."

"Well, at least that means we won't have to see McLaggen for a while," Theo quipped. Draco and Blaise simultaneously snorted. Harry managed a weak grin.

"Oh, bloody hell," Draco began, reaching out and putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You'll do fine; McLaggen won't know what hit him. You've been ready for the past month."

"Draco's right," Theo put in. The mousey boy cast a Tempus spell. "Merlin, it's already almost eight. We should head to the Great Hall." The duels would take place before the actual tournament (which was for the sixth and seventh years only), and the first duel was scheduled for 8:10. Harry's duel with Cormac McLaggen was the third duel of the morning.

The foursome headed to the Great Hall, finding the great oak doors opened wide. A great deal of chatter filled the expansive hall due to the many people coming to watch the duels and the tournament. Harry noticed that the hall had been split into sections: one section for the Hogwarts students, another for the Ministry officials, one for the Hogwarts professors, another for parents of Hogwarts students, and the last one for the Serpents and Riddle.

Harry's eyes fixed themselves on the last section, furthest to the right. It was almost completely empty, as Riddle and his entourage of Serpents had yet to arrive. He heard his name being called and swung around, seeing Sirius and his mother sitting in the fourth section. He waved excitedly, and Sirius shot him a thumbs up. His mother smiled warmly at him before turning to Sirius. Harry sniggered, imagining the chastisement Sirius was most likely receiving for acting too much like a child instead of an adult.

A magnificent dueling platform, even more amazing and professional than the one Regulus had conjured at the past dueling club meetings, was at the front of the hall. Harry approached the roped off area next to the platform, spotting Professors Black and Snape, who would be refereeing the tournament and duels, directing other duelists. The other three boys wished him the best of luck and left to find seats in the audience.

"Mr. Potter," Regulus greeted him tersely.

"Professor." Harry inclined his head. Regulus motioned for him to take a seat next to Fred Weasley, whom he heard had been challenged to a duel by a Ravenclaw who had taken offense to one of the Weasley twins' many pranks.

Harry hid his growing nervousness, smirking slightly at Fred, who smirked back at him.

"Weasley, where's your twin?" Harry's tone was light, contrasting with his inner feelings of worry and nervousness.

"Out in the crowd, you know, most likely preparing to cause some trouble," Fred said offhandedly. Both boys sniggered.

"Are you ready?" Fred asked suddenly.

Harry took a cursory glance at the red haired boy. "What?" He said absentmindedly.

"You know, for your duel," Fred hurried to explain. "I heard it's with McLaggen, the overconfident ponce."

Harry took a moment to consider Fred's question. It had been a trying month for him. The majority of his free time had been spent training with Regulus, looking up new spells in the library, or practicing dueling with the other first years. And yet, was he truly ready?

He glanced back at where Draco, Theo, and Blaise had chosen to sit and was pleasantly surprised to see that Neville had joined them. When they realized that he was looking their way, all four boys mouthed words of encouragement at Harry, who looked away, smiling to himself. He shot a glance at Sirius and his mother and saw that Sirius was practically bouncing out of his seat, immersed in cheering on his godson, to the growing ire of his fellow audience members.

Yes, he was ready, Harry concluded. He was ready to beat the hell out of McLaggen in their duel, and he told Fred that.

Fred opened his mouth to reply, but Harry jerked his head towards the dueling platform. "They're starting!" Harry said excitedly. And indeed, they were. All attention was focused on the platform, where Professors Black and Snape now stood.

"Welcome to the annual Ending Ceremony Tournament!" Regulus' amplified voice boomed throughout the Great Hall. Many cheered and others clapped their hands politely. "We traditionally began with a series of duels. Our duelers are the younger students, that is, the students who are not eligible for the actual tournament…"

As Regulus finished his short introduction speech, a hush filled the hall, and heads turned towards the doorway of the hall, where green clad wizards and witches stood. The Serpents were here.

As one, the figures entered the hall, moving with grace towards their designated section. A figure clad in midnight black and green robes followed the last Serpent, and many members of the audience began to bow.

"He's actually here," Harry whispered to Fred, who grumbled in response, not at all enthusiastic at Riddle's appearance.

Emperor Riddle (A term given to him by the majority of his followers after his victory in the last war; does not hold any major significance in the Ministry power hierarchy) declined to make any sort of speech, simply striding towards the Serpents' section, nodding once to both Snape and Black.

Regulus waited until all the Serpents were seated before continuing. "Now, the duels will begin. Standard European dueling rules will be used. Mr. Oliver Wood, a fifth year Gryffindor, and Mr. Marcus Flint , also a fifth year but in Slytherin, please take your places on the platform."

The two school rivals took their places on opposite ends of the platform, glaring daggers at each other. Clearly, there was little love between the two.

"On my count, then. THREE, TWO, ONE, BEGIN!" Spellfire erupted from both duelists' wands, and the duel had begun.

XXXXX

"…Mr. Harry Potter, first year Slytherin, and Mr. Cormac McLaggen, second year Gryffindor, please take your places," Regulus called. Harry took a deep breath. This was it. Fred elbowed him, an encouraging smile on his face. "Good luck, mate."

He stood up and walked towards the platform, heading towards the far end, where Regulus stood. Cormac had chosen to stand near the closer end, where Professor Snape stood, glaring disdainfully at the Gryffindor.

"Best of luck, Harry. Make us proud," Regulus said quietly, before walking off of the platform, Professor Snape doing the same on the other side. "And now," Regulus began, his voice under the influence of the Sonorous charm, "On my count. THREE, TWO, ONE, BEGIN!"

Harry ducked a simple Stunner from McLaggen, firing back a Stunner of his own, which McLaggen evaded with ease. Harry grinned in anticipation; he loved the thrill of dueling. Adrenaline pumped through his body, and all of his senses were on full alert. Knowing the rather arrogant nature of his opponent, Harry had decided to let McLaggen tire himself out in the beginning by letting the older boy go on the offensive.

"Protego," Harry intoned in a bored voice, watching a series of spells hit his blue shield. His shield shimmered, but did not crack. On the other side of the platform, McLaggen scowled, clearly expecting Harry to have lost already.

"What's the matter, McLaggen?" Harry called out. "Already realized you won't win?" His taunt served the purpose of riling McLaggen up, and the boy sneered.

"I won't be losing to a snake like you, Potter," McLaggen replied, his wand glowing red. "Although, I'm not that sure you should be in Slytherin. After all, isn't your mum a mudblood?"

Harry snarled, angered beyond measure at McLaggen's words, which had hit closer to home than he wanted them to. When he was younger and still very insecure, he had fretfully feared over being ridiculed and not being worthy enough to be in Slytherin, and later the Serpents, because of his half blood status. Now, he knew better, but the harsh words still wounded him, reminding him of earlier days better off forgotten.

McLaggen could tell that his words had struck deep and smirked victoriously.

"Confringo! Densaugeo! Expulso!" Harry cried in rapid succession. Cormac, who was still smirking, was caught off guard, and he was forced to drop to the ground and roll to the right. Spotting an early opportunity, Harry smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Incendio," he whispered, watching as McLaggen's robes caught fire. The Gryffindor boy swore loudly, hurriedly casting an Aguamenti spell to douse the flames, giving Harry ample time to think and prepare for his next attack.

"All right there, McLaggen?" Harry drawled, receiving a glare in response. "Diffindo, Diffindo, Stupefy!" The Gryffindor narrowly avoided the spells, returning fire with blasting curses and the occasional cutting curse. Harry swore under his breath when one of the cutting curses connected, opening a cut on his forearm, which began to bleed.

Ten minutes into the duel, the opponents stood opposite of each other, in almost the same places as they had started in. Harry frowned. Cormac had obviously received some help. The boy was a decent duelist, but Harry hadn't been trying as hard as he should have, opting to save his energy for later.

 _Time to ramp it up a notch,_ Harry thought grimly. _Let's see if you can keep up._

"SERPENSORTIA!" He roared, brandishing his wand at McLaggen, whose eyes widened in fear at the dangerous looking serpent that suddenly appeared, launching itself at the Gryffindor. He uttered a rather feminine shriek of fear, backing away quickly.

Harry didn't pause. "Expelliarmus!" He might be scared of the large and venomous snake that had been conjured, but McLaggen still knew to avoid the disarming spell, knowing the duel was all but won if he lost his wand.

The moment Cormac took his eyes off of the snake, said snake took the opportunity to launch itself at the Gryffindor, hissing menacingly. "EXPULSO!" McLaggen shouted, throwing the snake backwards towards Harry. It landed on the platform with an audible thump, moving weakly.

"AVIS!" Harry bellowed, and a flock of doves burst towards McLaggen, pecking and clawing him, causing grunts of pain from the boy. Harry, spotting a small piece of wood that McLaggen had conjured earlier to block a spell, cast a Blasting curse at it, causing it to shatter into dust.

"Wingardium leviosa," Harry whispered, his wand pointing at the sawdust, which floated in the air before Harry flung it into Cormac's eyes. The older boy screamed and swore, not being able to see. In his panic, McLaggen cast an unfamiliar spell that caused all of Harry's conjured birds to vanish. However, he was unable to get rid of the sawdust that was handicapping his vision.

Harry took advantage of his opponent being blinded. "Serpensortia," he muttered quietly, making sure that McLaggen could not hear what he had said. A menacing snake popped into existence, and Harry launched it at McLaggen.

The snake wrapped itself around the neck of the unfortunate boy, who froze instantly at the heavy weight he felt around his neck. Harry could see the actual moment Cormac McLaggen realized that there was a serpent around his neck; he tensed and began to open his mouth to scream, feeling the smooth scales and hearing the hissing of the snake.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry drawled, deciding to put Cormac out of his misery. "Stupefy!" McLaggen's wand came zooming towards the younger boy, who caught it with ease, twirling it around in his left hand. The older boy slumped to the ground, unconscious, the snake still wrapped around his neck.

Harry turned to Regulus, presenting the professor with his opponent's wand. Regulus stepped forward, holding up McLaggen's wand. "And the victor, Mr. Harry Potter of Slytherin!" The hall erupted into cheers.

Harry smiled widely, managing to stand straight and proud even though he was exhausted. It was over. He had won.

XXXXX

"Bloody hell, you kicked his arse!" Draco exclaimed, ignoring the stares of the other duelists who were waiting for their turn. Draco and the others, after Harry had stepped off of the platform and back to his seat, had hurried to the duelist section, intent on congratulating their victorious friend.

Harry took his eyes off of the duel that was occurring. It was Fred Weasley versus an older Ravenclaw boy. Fred was easily the better duelist, dodging quickly and returning spellfire, while the Ravenclaw moved awkwardly and managed to send less spells.

"Yeah, I guess I did," he replied, still experiencing the triumph of defeating McLaggen.

"What you did with the snake was brilliant," Blaise put in. "Scared the hell out of the prat." He sniggered, picturing the fearful look McLaggen had when he had faced the snake.

Harry didn't respond, busy watching the duel. Soon enough, Fred was proclaimed the victor, triumphantly holding up his opponent's wand. He leaped off of the platform in a flamboyant fashion, heading towards the group of Slytherin first years.

"How'd I do?" Fred was sporting a bruise on his right cheek but was smiling in satisfaction at his win.

"Not bad, Weasley," Draco drawled.

"Congratulations," Harry told Fred.

"And now we wait for the actual tournament to begin," Theo remarked, leaning comfortably against Blaise.

"Indeed."

XXXXX

Harry groaned when he rose from his seat, stiff and sore from sitting for so long. There had been a lunch break of an hour before the tournament continued to the quarter finals, but that had been roughly two hours ago.

The tournament was finally over, and the winner of the finals had been crowned: Nymphadora Tonks, who Harry remembered was the daughter of Andromeda Tonks, cousin to his godfather.

He politely clapped for the seventh year Hufflepuff, who accepted the tournament cup from Professor Black, raising it in the air.

The tournament had had around twenty participants, all vying for the prestige of winning said tournament. After watching many of the duels, Harry concluded that he still had ways to go before becoming a great duelist. Sure, he was probably the best duelist of his year, but the sheer skill of the older years had left him gaping.

The final duel had been between Tonks and a Gryffindor seventh year whose name Harry didn't know or particularly care enough to find out. They had both been good duelers, casting advanced spells and using many tactics that had baffled Harry and the other first years.

Tonks had used some sort of illusion to confuse the Gryffindor and had disarmed and subdued him while he was distracted. Harry had seen Professor Snape give an approving nod at Tonks, surprising many a Hogwarts students, not expecting the cold Professor to give any acknowledgement to the Hufflepuff.

Harry tuned out Regulus' closing remarks, fidgeting with the need to move; he had never been the sort of person who could sit or stand perfectly still for hours on ends.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a flicker of motion. He turned slightly so that he could see the doorway of the Great Hall and squinted his eyes. Was that…yes it was. Tonks had slipped out of the hall, somehow not drawing any sort of attention.

His interest piqued, Harry stealthily moved towards the open doorway, muttering excuses about needing to use the loo at the inquisitive glances he was shot by his friends.

He exited the Great Hall just in time to see a flash of black and yellow robes turning right. He stopped, debating whether or not he should actually follow the seventh year. Shrugging, he continued onwards, his curiosity winning over.

Tonks crossed the length of the corridor, turning left. A few minutes later, she had stopped in front of the base of the Astronomy Tower. Harry heard her muttering something, and the door swung open. She entered swiftly, leaving the door open.

Harry hesitated once again. What were the odds he'd be hexed to death by the Hufflepuff? His mind traitorously thought. He shook his head, steeling his resolve.

He found Tonks at the top of the tower, gazing down at the ground below. She hadn't heard him climbing up, and he was uncertain at what the best way to alert her to his presence was. He settled for something simple.

"Hello?" Harry ventured, his head slightly tilted.

Tonks spun around, wand in her hand. She relaxed slightly, seeing how it was only a fellow student, and a small one at that.

"Buggering hell," she said. "You scared the hell out of me."

Harry snickered at her choice of words. "Oops," he replied rather insincerely.

Tonks scowled. "I could've fallen to my death. The least you can do is actually appear sorry. Who the hell are you, anyway?"

Harry grinned. Her sense of humour reminded him a bit of Sirius. "Harry Potter at your service," he said with a mock bow. "And you're Nymphadora Tonks, the champion of the tournament."

Tonks mock glared at the boy. "Call me Tonks, not _Nymphadora_." She shuddered when she said her first name, as if someone had shoved Hippogriff dung in front of her.

"Congratulations with winning the tournament."

She smiled a genuine smile. "Thanks. I think I'll definitely make it into the Aurors now." She sounded excited. Harry distinctly remembered Sirius saying something about Tonks wanting to join the Aurors, and now he had confirmation.

He regarded her with a look of interest. "The Aurors, huh?"

She stared back at him. "Do you have a problem with that?" Her voice had a teasing note in it, and she fingered her wand.

Harry gulped. "Not at all," he hurried to explain. "Joining the Aurors is my second choice."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then what's your first?"

"The Serpents," Harry said immediately. Tonks frowned for a split second. "Never saw the use in joining a band of pureblood bigots."

"They aren't bigots." Harry was eager to defend the Serpents. "And besides, I'm a half blood. They accept half bloods."

"I'm a half blood too," Tonks said cautiously.

"Yeah, I know. Daughter of Andromeda Tonks nee Black and Ted Tonks," Harry drawled.

"And how exactly do you know that?" Tonks raised her other eyebrow. "Have you been spying on a certain gorgeous Hufflepuff seventh year?"

Harry was unable to keep the slight blush off of his face, and he scowled at Tonks when she grinned, unabashed.

"For your information, my godfather is Sirius Black," he told her. "We were looking at the Black family tree and a few photo albums."

Tonks snickered. "You won't get much from the family tree. I'm pretty sure I was burnt off."

Harry nodded in confirmation.

"So what else has Sirius told you about me?" Tonks sat on the ledge of the Astronomy Tower, still facing Harry.

"You're a Metamorphmagus, aren't you?" Harry questioned.

Tonks immediately stiffened. "I'm not on the Ministry registry, so kindly keep that to yourself."

"Don't worry," Harry reassured her. "I've no love for the Ministry." He paused. "But that's so bloody cool!"

"I guess," she said softly. "Not many people know about it, so I can't use it in public."

"I saw that Christmas picture where your hair changed colours," Harry said.

Tonks nodded and closed her eyes, choosing not to respond. With a vigorous shake of her head, her dark hair had turned hot pink.

Harry's eyes widened in amazement. "Is it limited to just hair colour?"

"Nope," Tonks said, popping the p. "I can change almost everything about my appearance."

"Almost?" Harry repeated the word as a question.

Tonks smirked. "I can't give myself wings or change myself into something not human. Believe me, I've tried. Scared my mum to death once."

"Only once?" Harry teased.

Tonks appeared to consider to question seriously. "Okay, probably more than a few times," she corrected with a laugh. "So what brings you here at this time of day?" The question caused Harry to look away from her uncomfortably. "Did you just follow me here?" Tonks asked, eyes narrowed playfully.

She got her answer from Harry's guilty expression. "You just can't get enough of me, can you?" Harry declined to answer the question, not that Tonks was really looking for an answer. She cackled noisily, and Harry soon joined in.

"So how's ole Sirius doing these days?" Tonks asked the young boy.

"Pretty good, I guess," Harry answered.

"Is he still up to his old tricks?" She shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position on the stone ledge.

"If you're referring to him playing pranks, neglecting his Lord of House Black duties, and pissing off important people, then yes." Harry couldn't keep a straight face, snickering at his own words, which painted Sirius in a bad light, even if it was true.

The pair descended into a companionable silence. "So you're leaving Hogwarts and heading for the Auror academy next month," Harry said suddenly.

"Pretty much," was Tonks' casual response.

"Are you going to miss Hogwarts?" Harry was honestly curious; he still had six more years to go, but he felt that if he left Hogwarts that moment, he'd still miss the dreary old castle.

Tonks was silent for a moment, obviously pondering the question. "I will. It's been a great second home, and I have so many good memories here, especially with my friends. But at the same time, I'm glad to be leaving; I feel like I need to start doing something with my life."

A thought struck Harry, and he voiced it. "Say, have you ever pulled any pranks?"

Tonks threw her head back and laughed. Harry liked her laugh; it wasn't like the polite and short laughs of many people he knew; it sounded more sincere and heartfelt.

"Ever wonder about that corridor on the third floor that's completely covered in plants and vines with random spots of pink?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "No way, that was you?" He had visited said corridor more than once. The professors had tried vanishing the plants and vines and returning the corridor to its normal state but had had no luck. Blaise had called it the work of a true master.

Tonks nodded gleefully. "Did you ever look up at the ceiling?"

Harry frowned, shaking his head. "What'd you do?" he asked, already dreading the answer.

"Someone might have written 'Carrow sucks dragon balls' there," Tonks said, trying and failing to look innocent.

Harry snorted, silently applauding Tonks' daringness. He suddenly stilled, remembering something that Regulus had said at the beginning of the tournament. "Wait, Tonks?" He heard a 'hmm?' in reply.

"Weren't we supposed to meet in the champions room after the tournament for pictures?" Tonks looked at him, and both simultaneously swore.

"Bugger," Tonks repeated for the fourth time, getting to her feet. "Race you there?"

Harry grinned. "You're on."

XXXXX

A long way away from Hogwarts, in an undisclosed location, another Order of the Phoenix meeting was in progress.

"Any news from Hogwarts?" Albus Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes twinkling, driving many an Order member crazy.

"The Ending Ceremony Tournament has taken place. Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda's and Ted's brat, became the champion," a drawling voice said in reply to Dumbledore's question.

A few hisses of outrage sounded around the room at the implied insult. Dumbledore ignored it, moving onto his next set of questions.

"I heard Mr. Potter competed in one of the duels," Dumbledore commented. Many heads looked up at their Hogwarts informants for confirmation.

The one who had yet to speak nodded his head once. "He won his duel against Cormac McLaggen." His lip curled in distaste when he mentioned the arrogant Gryffindor.

"Knew it," a bespectacled Order member muttered to his neighbor, the amber eyed Remus Lupin.

"He did very well," the first drawling voice continued. "He's been training for a few months now, and he clearly outshone McLaggen."

"How'd he win?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked, curious.

"He distracted and blinded his opponent and then summoned a serpent that immobilized the boy."

"He must have made Slytherin House proud," Moody observed, his magical eye whirling around wildly in its socket.

"Indeed he did," the second voice said, sneering at the members of the Order who had started murmuring unkind words at the mention of Hogwart's Slytherin House.

"He's shown himself to be quite the Slytherin," the first voice said smugly.

"Let's hope the bastards in that house don't drag him down," Podmore muttered. "He has great potential." Other members chimed in their agreement. "And Slytherin House isn't exactly known for its pristine reputation." There was a pregnant pause.

"Harry Potter will either rise into greatness or descend into darkness," Dumbledore said solemnly, his eyes devoid of their usual twinkle.

XXXXX

The lone man stood between two hostile groups, both of which were half hidden in darkness. One group was clad in the colour of blood and the other was clad in green.

"Who are you?" he shouted in confusion, his wand clenched tightly in his hand.

Another man suddenly appeared, standing tall and regal in front of the first man. "Hello, brother," he said quietly. The lone man opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. A tear fell from his face, and he reached out.

"You must choose," the regal man said before disappearing in a swirl of embers. " _Choose_."

The lone man, his emerald eyes shining in grief, spun around once more. This time, a woman wearing a set of bloodied robes appeared before him, a smile on her beautiful face. "Harry," she whispered. "Hurry. You must choose." She too, disappeared after her ominous words.

The emerald eyed man hesitated, a swirl of conflicting emotions clear to see on his face. "Choose, Harry Potter, choose!" Voices had begun chanting, growing louder and louder with each passing second.

And still, the man hesitated. His mouth opened to deliver his choice, but it was too late. A voice screamed hatefully, and he cried out, dropping his wand to clutch his right eye, which had begun to bleed crimson. Fire consumed his body, and a great flash of light filled the room.

Luna Lovegood's eyes snapped open, revealing bright blue irises. She stretched slowly, walking to the lone window of her bedroom. It was mid-morning, and sunlight had already started streaming into her room, bathing it in a golden light.

She gazed out of the large window, deep in thought, biting her lower lip in concentration. She had had another one of her visions in her sleep. Like her previous visions, it had been confusing to understand, and she did not remember much of it. She could only recall one name: Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter," she said the name slowly and softly, savoring the two words. "Your destiny calls for you, and fate does not like to be kept waiting." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, enjoying the comforting scent of the flowers below her. "Choose wisely, my harbinger."

 **AN:**

 **1\. This chapter signifies the end of Harry's first year at Hogwarts. There will be a time skip to his fourth year, with one or two interlude chapters to detail important events that occur during the three year skip. I will be doing my version of the Triwizard Tournament, except there will be no Durmstrang nor Beauxbatons, and it will definitely not be called the 'Triwizard Tournament.'**

 **2\. I am currently on vacation, and as a result, the next chapter might be posted in another week or so.**

 **-Fire**


	10. Chapter 9: Interlude: Summer Memories

**AN: The first Interlude's finally here, and it's been almost two weeks since my last update. For that, I apologize. I can't really offer any excuses, but I just want to say it's been a rough week. However, I'm optimistically hoping that I'll be able to get the next chapter out in around a week. Once again, thanks for reading. Love all the support.**

Interlude Part I: Summer Memories

(Black Manor, the summer before Harry's 2nd year)

Harry blinked. He had been reading the same sentence for the past twenty minutes, a clear indicator of his lack of interest in the book Sirius had lent him. He sighed, throwing the book down on the table in front of him and slumping wearily in his chair. _Reckon Sirius won't know if I happened to fall asleep for a short bit_ , he thought drowsily, closing his eyes, only to reopen them a few seconds later after hearing raised voices from the entrance hall.

He groaned in protest at being interrupted, debating whether to ignore the commotion and attempt (again) to get some much needed rest time. His eyes began to close once more. _Just a few minutes, please…_

A loud crash sounded from the direction of the voices, and Harry sighed. He could tell that today wasn't going to be a good day. Dejected, he rose out of his comfortable chair, walking towards the site of the commotion.

He found Sirius, his face twisted in an expression of intense dislike, standing in front of the doorway of Black Manor, arguing with someone. Harry couldn't see who it was from where he stood, and he shuffled closer, intending on discovering what the hell had been important enough to cause him to miss out on a well-deserved (in his opinion, at least) nap. The shattered pieces of an ancient vase lay on the ground next to Sirius, who had evidently broken it in his frustration.

"Like hell you will!" Sirius finished exclaiming as Harry walked behind him.

"Then let me at least talk to Mr. Potter." The voice of Regulus Black replied in an annoyed tone.

Harry peered past Sirius' shoulder and saw his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, arms crossed and an irritated scowl on his face.

"Professor?" He blurted out. "What are you doing here?"

Regulus shot a victorious smirk at Sirius before replying. "I have some news to discuss with you, and I had asked your _dear_ godfather to talk with you. However, he seems to be in a very…disagreeable mood today."

Sirius shot Regulus yet another dirty look. Harry, sensing that the two estranged brothers were close to coming to blows, if not worse, spoke up quickly. "Please, come in. I'll meet you in the drawing room, if you know where that is."

Regulus nodded shortly, stepping past Sirius into Black Manor. He began walking towards the drawing room, not looking back.

Harry turned to his godfather, who looked as if he had just swallowed a Blast-Ended Skrewt. "Sirius," he began in an attempt to placate his fuming godfather. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Like hell I won't," his godfather responded in a loud voice. "I'm not leaving him alone with you."

Harry just sighed once more and shook his head. Today _really_ wasn't a good day.

The pair of godfather and godson walked to the drawing room, finding Regulus already seated in one of the chairs. Regulus raised an eyebrow when Sirius walked in behind his godson, a smirk on his face.

"You really aren't needed for this discussion, brother," he said in a falsely neutral tone. "I'm sure you have better ways of wasting your time."

Harry spoke before Sirius responded to the thinly veiled taunt. "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Sirius," he said quietly. The smirk vanished off of Regulus' face and he nodded once, becoming as serious as he normally was.

"Let's cut to the chase- I don't want to be near some people if I can help it." Here, Regulus shot a pointed glare at Sirius. "I've come to assess your Occlumency barriers to see if they're finally acceptable enough to learn other branches of the mind arts."

Harry winced, knowing that Sirius hadn't had a clue that Regulus was teaching him Occlumency. Sirius had assumed that his private lessons with Regulus were based on advanced defense, and Harry hadn't exactly been in a hurry to correct him.

Predictably, Sirius interjected, an incredulous expression plastered on his handsome face. "Excuse me?" He started slowly and deliberately. Harry sucked in a breath; when Sirius talked slowly and purposefully, it was a clear indicator that he was seriously pissed off. "Are you telling me that in your little 'extra defense lessons,' you were teaching my godson Occlumency, a fucking dangerous branch of the mind arts?"

Regulus considered the question. "Well, we did do some dueling and cover some other sorts of defense. Occlumency was only once or twice a week." He smirked, noticing his older brother's mood. "And besides, are you saying that your own godson didn't see it necessary to inform you of his Occlumency training? I wonder what that says about you, brother."

"You little shi-"Sirius began before Harry cut him off.

"Padfoot, I wanted to learn, and he offered to teach me. If anything, it's my fault." Sirius barely glanced at his godson before exploding yet again. "He's the adult here; he shouldn't have even offered to teach you in the first place!" His right eye twitched, and he looked at Regulus, daring him to respond.

"Sirius." Regulus had a strange look on his face, and Harry could not tell what his professor was thinking. "There are many wizards and witches who are able to read an undefended mind, including those of the Order and the Serpents. Surely, you do not want your godson to be in danger of having his mind invaded and brutally crushed, do you?"

Sirius frowned, trying to come up with another excuse to defend his opinion. Regulus leaned close to his brother, whispering something into his ear, the strange expression still present. Harry caught a surprised expression on his godfather's face before said godfather reset his facial features in a blank mask so quickly that Harry thought he had imagined it.

"Very well," Sirius said. "I expect nothing to happen to my godson while he's under your tutelage." His words were crisp and slightly stilted, and Harry had an inkling that while Sirius had agreed to Regulus teaching Harry Occlumency, he wasn't happy with it.

Regulus sent a short nod of gratitude towards his brother before turning to face Harry. "Now, since we've settled that matter, let's move onto the actual reason I'm spending my time here instead of doing something more worthy of my time." Sirius snorted loudly.

Regulus raised his head, staring directly into Harry's eyes. "Legilimens!" was the only warning Harry got before his mind was attacked. Grimly, he closed his eyes, willing the barriers in his mind to hold strong.

By the end of his first year at Hogwarts (and around a year of Occlumency training from Regulus), he had managed to create a three barrier defense that was ideal for beginning Occlumency trainees. Only having one barrier, especially when he was still a novice, was just asking for his mind to be broken into, and it would be hard to defend his mind if and when said barrier crumbled. Having more than three barriers would mean that all the layers would be relatively weak and not strong enough to hold out most Legilimens.

Three barriers would ensure that all barriers were relatively strong, and if someone managed to break through one, they would have to go through two more, and Harry would have ample time to reconstruct a suitable defense.

Regulus immediately found his first barrier and attacked it viciously, causing a mild stab of pain to go through Harry's head. Harry gritted his teeth; Regulus was clearly trying to overwhelm the young boy's defenses using sheer power alone.

Harry's first barrier was breached and destroyed in a matter of seconds, and Regulus swiftly moved onto the second barrier. Harry's mind felt as if he had been hit in the head with a battering ram after drinking Sirius' entire secret stash of firewhiskey.

Harry fought down the urge to scream, summoning his leftover strength to fuel his two remaining barriers. It felt as if Regulus had been assaulting his mind for days, and Harry could imagine how the sun would rise and fall with each passing day. Harry knew, however, that realistically it had probably been only a few minutes or so since Regulus had started.

Another long moment of pure, agonizing torture later, Regulus had broken through Harry's last barrier and had retreated from the boy's mind, much to the relief of said boy.

Regulus waited a moment for Harry, who felt violently ill, to collect himself before speaking. "Overall, you did pretty well for being such a novice," he spoke quietly, knowing from past experience that the young boy was probably nursing a raging headache after having his mind broken into. "It took me a solid six minutes to break into your mind, and chances are your opponent won't have that kind of time to do that in a battle."

Sirius, who had somehow managed to refrain from talking, chose to speak up, directing his words not at Regulus but at the resident house elf. "Tippy!" He commanded, and a house elf popped into the room.

"Master Sirius?" Tippy squeaked, wringing its hands in a nervous fashion. "You called for Tippy?"

"Bring me a couple of headache relief potions and a pepper up potion," Sirius said briskly. "And also two firewhiskeys and one butterbeer."

"Why'd you get two headache relief potions?" Harry asked. "I don't think Regulus needs one." Here, he shot a questioning glance at his professor, who shook his head.

Sirius scowled. "One's for you, and the second one's for me," he said shortly, making both Regulus and Harry arch one of their eyebrows. "Merlin knows I need it," he muttered.

Harry chose to pretend he didn't hear what his godfather had muttered. Tippy popped back into the room, presenting the three wizards with the potions and drinks before disappearing with a bow.

"So, what now?" The soon to be second year asked, trying and failing to imitate his professor's casual tone.

Regulus sipped his drink, taking an old leather bound book out from his cloak and handing it to Harry. "Read it, learn it, and understand it."

Harry took the book gingerly, reading the cover of said book out loud. "Transfiguration: Animations?" he half asked, looking confusedly at his defense professor, who merely closed his eyes and sighed dramatically.

"Potter, what do you think would happen if you walked around Hogwarts carrying a book about legilimency?" He drawled, reaching out and tapping the cover of the book with his wand, causing it to reveal its true title: The Mind Arts: Legilimency.

Harry blinked, now understanding why Regulus had felt it prudent to disguise the cover of the book.

The professor tapped the cover of the book with his wand once more, and the title was soon disguised. "I expect you to be ready to start the practical parts of Legilimency once term begins. This book only covers the theory behind it and also some advanced tips about Occlumency."

"And if I have any questions before term starts?" Harry inquired cautiously.

"Send a letter to me or ask your godfather," Regulus said shortly, standing up. "Now, I have other things to do, so I'll be taking my leave." He strode out of the room without a backwards glance, and Harry heard the distinct pop of Apparation a minute later. He turned back to face his godfather, who was still scowling, his glass of firewhiskey held in his right hand.

"And that's my little brother for you," Sirius muttered. "Knowledgeable, arguably more talented than many other wizards, and let's not forget, a great bloody git."

Harry could tell it would be a long summer.

A really, _really_ long summer.

XXXXX

(The Ministry, the summer before Harry's 4th year)

Harry scowled, not for the first time that day and certainly not for the last time. He was going to kill Sirius after this.

Lily had remarked that Harry should begin learning about the Wizengamot and his roles as the Potter scion and Black heir, and Sirius had agreed, which led to Harry being woken up from a deep slumber at a god forsaken early hour in the morning by his cheerful godfather. He had then been dragged to the Ministry with Sirius, who had called it an "educational trip with an educated person" when Harry had complained. Harry had snorted when Sirius had referred to himself as the "educated person."

As soon as they had entered the Ministry atrium, Sirius had seen a group of old friends (drinking buddies, he had called them) and had gleefully made his way towards the group, leaving Harry alone in the process.

Harry, already irritated with his godfather, had chosen to wander the various halls of the Ministry, receiving many glares from Ministry workers.

He had been walking by himself for around twenty minutes when he spotted a familiar face. "Barty?" He said incredulously, his voice louder than normal due to his surprise.

The man in question turned around, a smile on his face when he saw who had called his name. "Harry," he greeted the boy. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

Harry fought down the urge to scowl. "My godfather dragged me here to learn about the Wizengamot and other important stuff but ditched me as soon as we got here." Barty caught onto the boy's annoyed tone and smirked.

"Well, it's a good thing that you picked today of all days to visit the Ministry. Come on," he said, motioning for Harry to follow him down the hallway. After a short moment of hesitation, Harry followed.

A few minutes later, Harry found himself in front of a small office in an unfamiliar hallway. Barty opened the door with a lazy swish of his wand and entered with a grin. Harry entered the office, sitting in a surprisingly comfortable chair directly in front of Barty.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around at the office.

"An old office that nobody uses anymore," Barty replied casually. "Great place to have a conversation without the risk of being overheard." At those words, Harry tensed slightly. What was so important that Barty had to come to an abandoned office to tell him?

"Relax," Barty told the boy, sensing his tenseness. "It's about an event that's happening at Hogwarts this year."

"Then why all this secrecy?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Barty grinned again. "You lot aren't supposed to know until you get to Hogwarts, but I figured you knowing wouldn't hurt anyone."

Harry suppressed a smile. "So what's this all about?"

"There's going to be a tournament this year at Hogwarts for the kids who want to join the Serpents. A big one, too. First place gets automatically accepted into the Serpents as long as their marks are high enough and everything else is all right."

Harry's jaw dropped. "The hell?" he found himself asking.

Barty nodded wisely. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Harry snorted but otherwise ignored Barty's reply. "Is there an age restriction?" After all, he couldn't be this lucky…could he?

"Fourth years and older," informed Barty. "Which means you can enter." Yep, he was that lucky.

Harry mulled over the news Barty had given him. "Well fuck," he commented, not knowing what else to say.

"Pretty much, yeah."

XXXXX

(Riddle Manor, the summer before Harry's 4th year. Twelve days before Harry's encounter with Barty at the Ministry)

"You're telling me," the man began with a faux smile fixed on his handsome face, his ruby red eyes flashing for a split second. "That you and the others had two of the most important members of the Order of the Phoenix disarmed and bound, and somehow, _somehow_ they managed to break free and run back to Dumbledore's side?" His fingers twitched slightly, a sign of his displeasure and irritation at the incompetence of the man who knelt in front of him.

The kneeling man, his face half hidden by the mask he wore, stammered nervously. "My Lord…"

"Is there something you wish to tell me, Avery?" His voice was smooth as silk, a dangerous edge accompanying his words. He found the desire to curse the idiot was becoming overwhelming.

The man on the ground mumbled, not daring to look at the face of his furious lord.

"Very well then," came the silky voice once more. He raised his wand. "Crucio," he whispered almost lovingly, enjoying the thrill that came from casting an Unforgiveable.

Avery screamed in agony, the shrill sound echoing off of the high ceiling. The man smirked coldly, savouring his follower's tortured cries. He released Avery from the curse after close to a minute, not wanting to permanently damage him. _Even if Avery was, of course, completely incompetent,_ he thought, still wanting to curse the fool into oblivion. He really needed followers who could both fight and think.

Avery was still kneeling, gasping loudly, relieved at being released from the torture curse. "Get out," the man whispered dangerously, and Avery obeyed, quickly hurrying out of the magnificent doors into the hallway, casting one last fearful glance at his lord.

A trio of figures soon replaced Avery, walking in unison into the dark room, bowing their heads in respect and deference to their lord. "My Lord," all three murmered.

Lord Voldemort, also known as Emperor Riddle to the idiotic twats at the Ministry and the rest of the Wizarding World, smiled. These were his true followers; the ones who were truly loyal, intelligent, and… _dangerous._

"I trust you have news?" He questioned, knowing that they must have a reason for interrupting him.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, his long blond hair betraying his identity, cool gray eyes ever so calculating. "My Lord, we've come from the Ministry." He hesitated, wondering briefly if his lord would curse him soundly if he told him the bad news.

Lord Voldemort caught the hesitation, narrowing his eyes at the man. "What is it?" He asked sharply, warning Malfoy to not lie to him, lest he face the opposite end of his wand.

"The blood traitors and muggle lovers have been expressing their displeasure at our people at the Ministry," Malfoy spoke smoothly and confidently, knowing his lord vehemently disliked people who stuttered or were not sure of themselves. "Even some of the purebloods have been questioning what we are and are planning on doing with the threat that is the Order of the Phoenix."

"They aren't a threat, merely a nuisance that must be stamped out," Voldemort said coldly, causing Lucius to nod quickly.

"Of course, my Lord," he agreed.

Lord Voldemort turned to his other two followers. "Any other news?" He needed some news that was actually _good_ , for Merlin's sake.

The lone woman stepped forward slightly, a slightly crazed look in her fearsome eyes. "The Serpents' numbers are as strong as ever, my Lord. However, we lack a great deal of… _ability_ in our new recruits." She almost spat the word, her distaste for the newest recruits evident.

"Indeed?" Voldemort spoke, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her.

Bellatrix Lestrange tossed her head. "Weaklings, all of them," she declared contemptuously. "Barely any of them can duel, and most don't have a single intelligent thought in their whole body."

Augustus Rookwood, who had not spoken yet, snorted. "Most of them come from Hogwarts, and the standards there have never been high." The other three in the room turned to face the former Unspeakable, surprised at how disparagingly he was speaking about the school in which he had taught more than a few classes.

Voldemort was silent for a few moments, pondering the unfortunate series of news.

Bellatrix spoke suddenly, her voice cruel. "We should just end them all, all of the blood traitors and mudbloods at the Ministry." A feral smile appeared on her face.

"Now, now, Bella, you know that wouldn't be wise," Voldemort said lightly, always less cold to his favourite and most faithful follower. The woman in question scowled unhappily at the floor but did not protest.

Lucius pursued his lips in thought. Voldemort noticed the blonde's momentary silence. "Lucius?" He questioned, knowing that the man was arguably the most cunning of his followers and was sure to come up with a plan with dealing with the recent events.

"We need something that will raise public support and also capture the attention of Magical Britain for a while," he said slowly and deliberately, tilting his head slightly in thought. The other three chose not to interrupt, knowing the blonde would be beyond irritated if they did.

Lucius paused. "Doesn't Hogwarts have a tradition of holding a dueling tournament at the end of each year?"

Rookwood nodded his head affirmatively. "The Ending Ceremony Tournament."

"Well, why don't we hold another tournament this year?" Lucius said. "A larger, grander one."

"What do you mean, Lucius?" Bellatrix asked, amusing herself by idly twirling her wand.

"We should hold a tournament at Hogwarts for the older years. It should consist of several tasks, not just dueling, so we can aptly test them to see if they're up to par."

"And what would be the grand prize?" Bellatrix demanded, sneering slightly. "None of those little twits would enter any sort of tournament that doesn't involve them gaining any type of glory or acknowledgement if they win."

"Did you not mention that the Serpents have recently been…lacking suitable talent and skill?" Lucius inquired, an immaculate eyebrow raised, annoyed at the interruption, even if Bellatrix had had a point.

Bellatrix nodded shortly. "Arrogant little shites, the lot of them," she muttered, inciting a snort of laughter from Rookwood.

"It's true," she defended herself, scowling at the former Unspeakable.

"I never said it wasn't," Rookwood replied.

"Well," Lucius continued, ignoring the words exchanged between Bellatrix and Rookwood. "Why don't we make it so that the champion of this tournament is automatically accepted into Serpent training after he or she graduates from Hogwarts?"

"You know, Lucius," Bellatrix started. "There's a reason, a good one too, why we're highly selective about who we accept into the Serpents. We don't want any imbeciles, like the ones we're sure to receive out of this tournament."

Lucius frowned, his facial expressions soon relaxing into his normal blank mask seconds later. "I assure you, whoever becomes champion of the tournament will be Hogwarts' best, and there's no doubt they will be better than the rift raft you currently train."

Bellatrix had to concede that Lucius had a point, choosing to ignore him petulantly, unable to come up with a suitable and scathing response. There was a brief moment where no one spoke, all digesting Lucius' words and proposal.

"I believe that just might work," Rookwood said slowly. "It would certainly gather enough interest and raise the public's opinion."

"Do you have an age restriction in mind?" Voldemort asked, crimson eyes narrowed in thought.

"It shouldn't be just the sixth and seventh years," Rookwood commented. "Some of the younger ones can duel better than they can."

"Shall we say fourth years and up?" Lucius questioned.

"Ickle fourth years?" Bellatrix scoffed.

"Some of the younger years do have potential," Rookwood noted thoughtfully. "I second that."

"Very well then," Voldemort said. "Lucius and Rookwood, I expect both of you to propose and set up the tournament by next month." The threat of what would befall the pair if they should fail in their task was left unsaid.

The two men nodded in agreement, bowing once more. "Of course, my lord," Lucius agreed respectfully before briskly striding out of the room, Rookwood in tow.

"What do you think, Bella?" Voldemort drawled lazily, interested in hearing the input of his second in command.

Bellatrix considered the question carefully. "In regards to the public opinion, I believe that the tournament will be enough to stop the complaints. However, there's still the Order to consider…" She trailed off.

Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Riddle, curved his lips into a smirk that would make most wizards and witches cower in fear. "Leave the Order to me," he said, eyes flashing dangerously. "Indeed, the Order will fall soon enough and Albus Dumbledore will learn that he is no match for Lord Voldemort."

XXXXX

(Hogwarts Castle)

Filius Flitwick might be shorter than many (if not all) of his students, but his bravery and selflessness knew no bounds. And when he had received the news in the form of a panicked Patronus that the Order of the Phoenix had fled, he had chosen to stay at Hogwarts as a professor, vowing to protect his students as best as he could.

And he had; throughout the years after the Order's retreat and Voldemort's victory, he had remained at Hogwarts, helping his students however he could. He was, overall, a well-liked and cheery professor who was respected and admired throughout the castle by all his students.

Filius remembered the day when Voldemort had come to Hogwarts, many years ago, with Amycus Carrow, declaring the unpleasant man to be the new headmaster of Hogwarts, succeeding Albus Dumbledore.

He had seen the ruthlessness in the Dark Lord's ruby eyes as he made the proclamation, glancing around the hall, daring anyone to object. Filius had instinctively known that anyone who had chosen to speak out would have been eradicated on the spot. Carrow, sensing his imminent crowning as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts, had leered at the students who had been present, and Filius had grimaced, his distaste for the disgusting man well hidden.

He had breathed a sigh of relief when nobody spoke, relieved that further death had been avoided. And that day had marked the start of the reign of Headmaster Amycus Carrow, whom Filius knew would not hesistate in ordering the deaths of any students (or adults) who objected to Voldemort or his followers.

Filius had played it safe; summoning his inner Slytherin characteristics that had made him such an amazing dueling champion when he was younger. He had never been officially part of the Order of the Phoenix, but he had been one of its biggest supporters during the war.

When Carrow had abruptly entered his office one morning, shortly before the start of the second term of that first school year, Filius had instinctively known the man was there to test his loyalties and to determine if he was a threat.

Filius had played his part well, smiling benignly and politely offering the taller man tea. Carrow had declined, sneering slightly in distaste. The pair of professor and headmaster had sat down in the charm professor's office for a full minute before Carrow had begun to speak.

It wasn't much of a "chat," as Carrow had phrased it when he had first arrived, but more of an interrogation, Filius had mused afterwards. Carrow had spent no time on subtlety, instead opting to directly confront the diminutive professor with a series of questions ranging from "Have you any affiliations or loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix?" to "When was the last time you've seen Minerva McGonagall?" to "Is it true that you gave a Gryffindor fifty points for completing a simple task of changing the colour of an object?" (Filius had no clue why the last question had mattered but answered it nonetheless).

It had been a good thirty minutes of their "little chat" before Carrow had decided that Filius wasn't, in any way, shape, or form, affiliated with the Order of the Phoenix and its members, and had rather grumpily left, declaring that he would "be watching" and that the other man should "be careful." Of what, Filius had no idea.

He would bet more than a few galleons that Carrow was heavily disappointed that he wasn't a traitor to "the cause." Indeed, Filius was sure that Carrow, the sadistic bastard that he was, wouldn't hesitate in causing his death in a very, very painful manner if he had proved to be a liability.

There had been many points in the conversation in which Filius had had the overwhelming urge to declare that Voldemort and Carrow and the rest of the bloody miserable bastards had no right to be in Hogwarts, a supposedly safe school for children, and that the Order would rise from its metaphorical ashes and defeat Voldemort once and for all.

However, Filius was anything but stupid, and he had held his tongue. After all, he had to stay at Hogwarts, if not for the children, for the Order. He was sure that many of the new professors who had been appointed by Voldemort and were staunch supporters of said man had no qualms against savagely cursing a child who annoyed or somehow disrespected them. It was his job to make sure they couldn't do that during the time that they were at Hogwarts.

Filius was no fool; he knew that one day, perhaps in the near future, the Order would return to fight Voldemort and his followers, and another vicious war would rage across Britain. He knew that there would be many deaths and atrocities committed, and he was determined to make sure his students could protect themselves to the best of their abilities. And when the Order came once more to Hogwarts, he would fight alongside them.

But for now, he was to be a buffer, a shield against those who would harm innocents, Filius decided. And he would have to play his part well.

XXXXX

(Black Manor, the summer after Harry's first year at Hogwarts)

"Can you _stop_ that?" Draco snapped irritably, glaring at Harry, who adopted a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," the emerald eyed boy said apologetically.

"Prat," Draco grumbled. "You're going to wear a hole through Sirius' carpet if you don't stop your pacing."

Harry paused his pacing for the moment, glancing quizzically at the blonde. "Well, it's not a very pretty carpet to begin with, is it?" He asked, smiling lopsidedly.

Draco snorted. "I'll have you know, that's a magnificent and rare carpet. Bloody expensive too."

"I never said it wasn't nice," Harry protested. "I just said it wasn't pretty."

"How long do we have to wait until they get there," Draco complained, a scowl present on his face.

"They should be here soon," Harry immediately replied in a wary tone, having had this conversation many, many times during the last ten minutes.

"They better," Draco muttered in a low voice. "And I can't believe you're making me stay for this blasted dinner." His voice had risen when he had said the last sentence, and Harry could tell the boy really wasn't pleased at all.

"Draco," he sighed. "They're perfectly good people. And besides, they're your family."

"Not all of them," replied his friend stubbornly. "Especially not the mud-"

"Draco," warned Harry. He really didn't feel up to debating this point for the fifth or sixth time. He heard Draco go silent. "And besides, I still think the carpet's pretty ugly."

His friend took the offered olive branch for what it was. "Prat," Draco grumbled. "Don't let your godfather hear that."

"Hear what?" Sirius ducked his head out of the dining room into the hallway, smiling widely at the two boys, who in turn were both waiting for their dinner guests to arrive.

"Nothing," Harry responded immediately, not wanting to get drawn into an argument revolving around Sirius' taste in carpets. Draco snickered appreciatively, causing Sirius to frown in suspicion, sensing that he had been the target of at least one joke.

Harry was saved from his godfather's response when the Floo came to life, its green flames spitting out a well-dressed couple who immediately began to dust off their robes.

"Harry," Andromeda Tonks began with a warm smile at the raven haired boy. "Sirius." She nodded at her cousin. "And…" she trailed off, noticing the presence of a certain blonde in the hallway. "Draco Malfoy?" She questioned, causing the boy in question to nod shortly.

Her husband, Ted Tonks, greeted the three wizards cheerfully. Harry glanced around, confused. Where was she?

As if she could read minds, Andromeda turned to face him. "Nymphadora should be here any time," she told the boy. "She forgot something, it seems."

Ted snorted. "That, and she's never gotten the hang of Flooing."

Andromeda, who had opened her mouth to defend her daughter, was stopped by the sudden flash of green as the Floo came to life once more, spitting out a witch who fell to the ground as soon as she arrived at Black Manor.

Ted immediately extended a hand to help his daughter up, and she accepted it with a grateful nod.

"Bloody. Fucking. Hell." The newest arrival muttered, causing most of the hallway's occupants to snort loudly.

"Nymphadora," Andromeda said, a scandalized expression on her beautiful face.

"Don't bother scolding her, Andi," Ted told his wife. "It hasn't worked in the past, and it probably won't work now."

"He's right about that," Nymphadora Tonks muttered.

"One can only hope." Andromeda sighed dramatically.

Sirius chortled in glee. "Another one who never listened to Andi? Say Dora, has your mum ever told you about the time we went to a muggle theatre and…" He broke into laughter, clutching his sides, causing Harry and Draco to look at the man strangely.

"Bloody mental, that one," Draco muttered, nudging his friend.

"At least you don't have to see him almost every day," Harry responded in an equally low tone.

Draco considered the point. "True. I'd probably have offed myself if I did."

"Sirius..." Andromeda began dangerously.

"Yes, dear cousin of mine?" was the former Marauder's cheeky response.

"If you want to keep most of your body parts attached to your body, I suggest you not continue that train of thought." Sirius paled instantly, thinking of one incident in the past in which he had not heeded his older cousin's warning and had paid the price.

Andromeda glanced around the hallway. "Cissy and her husband aren't coming, I assume?" Her voice had a hopeful quality in it, contrasting with the mask of indifference she wore.

Sirius did not reply, leaving Draco to do so. "Mother and Father don't want to be seen in...present company," he drawled. Harry winced at his friend's blunt words. He really didn't know if the prat was purposely being rude, or if he was acting like his normal sarcastic self.

An awkward silence fell upon the people standing in the hallway. Naturally, it was Sirius who broke the silence.

"Well, now that everyone's here, what are we waiting for?" Sirius asked, spreading his arms wide, a smile fixed on his face. "Let's eat."

"So," Sirius began casually. "I heard you wanted to be an Auror, Dora." They had finished dinner without any major mishaps (Draco had opened his mouth to most likely make an unpleasant comment about Muggleborns, but Harry had kicked him under the table, drawing a glare from the Malfoy heir), and now they had vacated the dining room and were now sitting, butterbeers (and fire whiskeys, depending on age) in hand, laughing and talking together.

"You heard right," Tonks said, taking a sip of her butterbeer, savoring the taste.

"I was an Auror," Sirius commented offhandedly. "A damn good one too."

Draco and Harry simultaneously snorted. Sirius, taking offense to their disbelieving snorts, protested. "I was," he said indignantly, pouting.

"Of course, whatever you say," Draco replied flippantly.

"Say, didn't you used to come over to Potter Manor and drink a bit before going to work in the morning?" Harry asked Sirius, an innocent look on his face.

Before Sirius could respond, Draco cut in. "And didn't you say those buggers didn't care when you came in, as long as you showed up sometime?" The blonde was smirking at his cousin, who had begun scowling fiercely at the pair of boys.

"That's a load of tosh," Sirius scoffed, turning to Tonks. "Don't listen to them; they don't know anything."

"Sirus," Andromeda said, raising one eyebrow, a skeptical note in her voice.

The Black head of family turned, fixing his blinding grin on her.

"Sirius," Andromeda repeated, and the man in question practically wilted.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But those buggers didn't care in the slightest."

"Weren't you on probation for like a month?" Draco asked, tilting his head in a faux bored manner (Or maybe he was actually bored; Harry never knew for sure). Sirius sent a glare his way, but the Malfoy heir ignored it. Harry and the others snickered at Sirius' expense.

"It wasn't a month. It was more like three weeks," Sirius protested. "And besides, it wasn't even that bad." The second sentence was muttered under his breath, and the others pretended to not hear him.

"So, how was your first year at Hogwarts?" The question was asked by Ted, who felt it prudent to change the subject of the conversation to avoid his wife's ire from increasing at Sirius. He received a nod of appreciation from Sirius.

Draco and Harry exchanged a pair of glances. Harry sighed, knowing Draco really didn't want to answer first. "Pretty grand," he said noncommittedly, not knowing exactly what he was supposed to say.

"How are the professors?" Andromeda asked. "We've heard a lot about them from Nymphadora, but she does tend to exaggerate things, especially things about people she doesn't like."

Tonks instantly rose to defend herself. "It's not my fault half of the professors are gits. I mean, look at Snape."

"She has a point there," Sirius added. Harry had to cover his mouth with a hand to hide his laughter. Draco not similarly amused.

"Our Head of House, unlike others, can actually teach," he said a bit icily.

Tonks was not deterred. "Who are the 'others,' then?"

"Sprout," Draco answered promptly. Harry winced, knowing that Draco's words had probably caused an explosion of sorts. He was right.

"The hell?" Tonks, her father, and Sirius all exclaimed, looking at the Malfoy heir, who was trying (and failing) to look defiant.

Andromeda frowned at the crass words but did not disprove their exclamation. Harry, even though he was thoroughly annoyed with his ponce of a mate, decided to defend his best mate.

"You're just mad that you always get dirt on your robes after Herbology," he accused. Well, maybe not 'defend.' He was still a bit annoyed at Draco. Just a bit.

His friend shot him an utterly betrayed look, prompting a shout of laughter from Tonks. "Are you _serious_?" She asked gleefully. Harry hesitated. Maybe he had been a tad too cruel.

"At least I haven't blown up two cauldrons in a single class of Potions." Draco sniffed. Harry blinked. _Never mind,_ he admitted to himself. _He hadn't been cruel at all._

"You really want to have a go?" He asked sweetly. Draco was saved from answering and taking part in the unavoidable argument that would have followed if he had answered. "Not today. You and blondie can fight some other day," Sirius interjected.

Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste at Sirius' use of the rather despicable nickname. He didn't say anything, and Harry didn't either. "Any other professors who you lot don't seem to despise?" Ted Tonks questioned wryly.

Harry hesitated, steeling himself. He had to admit it someday, even if his godfather wouldn't be happy. "Professor Black is a good defense instructor." He shot a glance at Sirius, whose cheerful expression had faded immediately, leaving a blank mask.

"Bit of a pillock, isn't he?" Tonks muttered. Sirius snorted. Loudly. "My little brother's more than a pillock, don't worry." Harry sent a worried look at Sirius. The statement had been said in a rather bitter tone, and Harry wasn't sure if it had been a good idea to mention Regulus at all.

"I'm sure Regulus is a decent professor," Andromeda replied to Harry's statement. Sirius muttered something derogatory under his breath but did not say anything else. Harry breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. That particular crisis had been averted, at least. Sirius still looked like he wanted to hurt something (probably his brother), but he hadn't really done anything, so Harry counted that as a victory.

The rest of the night was spent reminiscing (mostly by the adults) about events well in the past, talking about Hogwarts, the current state of affairs with the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix, and also various pranking ideas (A topic which Sirius had enthusiastically proposed, and Tonks had even more enthusiastically agreed on).

Sooner than expected, it was time for the Tonks family to leave, and goodbyes were reluctantly said.

"We must do this again sometime soon," Andromeda commented, briefly stepping forward and hugging her cousin.

"Of course," Sirius agreed easily.

"Thank you for having us." That was Ted.

Meanwhile, Tonks was engaged in deep conversation with Harry about a completely serious topic: Quidditch.

"I'm telling you, the Harpies will absolutely stomp on the Cannons," she declared.

"I'm not arguing with you," Harry said. "They're pretty rubbish, the Cannons."

"Didn't they lose 250-0 in their last game?"

Harry paused. "Pretty sure it was around 300-0."

"Figures."

"Nymphadora," Andromeda called.

"Bugger," Tonks muttered. "Time to go, I guess." She affectionately tousled Harry's hair, causing him to protest. "See you, prat."

"Bye, Tonks."

"Later, Malfoy."

"Bye," was Draco's short reply.

Tonks was the first one to Floo out of Black Manor, almost tripping when reaching for the green Floo powder. Ted was next, Flooing without any mishaps, unlike his daughter. Andromeda remained in the hallway, seemingly waiting for the rest of her family to leave.

She smiled at Sirius. "Thank you, once again." She turned to leave, stopping and turning to the Malfoy heir, who looked at her quizzically.

She hesitated. "Give my regards to your parents, will you? And tell Cissy happy early birthday." Draco hesitated before nodding once. Andromeda smiled sadly, no doubt thinking about her estranged sister. She too, Floo'd back to the Tonks home, leaving Sirius and the boys standing in the now empty hallway.

"Firew-Butterbeer, anyone?" Sirius asked innocently. The two boys grinned at the former Marauder. "Of course," was Harry's replied. Draco's reply was much less polite.

XXXXX

(Hogwarts Castle, 3rd year)

"Git."

"Prat."

"Blonde ponce."

"Italian bugger."

"Over pompous pillock."

"Oi, that's McLaggen, you arse."

"It's a term that applies to you, too."

"Well then, Mr. I-hate-Care-Of-Magical-Creatures-because-I'm-scared-of-getting-dirt-on-my-designer-robes."

"At least I'm not scared of breaking a nail in Herbology."

Harry and Theo looked at each other, exasperated scowls on both of their faces.

Theo raised an eyebrow, to which Harry shook his head vehemently. There was no way in hell that he was going to be the one who broke up that argument. Theo rolled his eyes, making a face at the emerald eyed boy, who in turn stuck out his tongue at the Nott heir. Theo sighed, stepping forward.

"You're both pretty, we get it," Theo interrupted the quarreling duo. The pair stopped their arguing immediately, choosing to face Theo, who merely lifted an eyebrow in apparent disinterest.

Harry sighed; this wasn't going to end anytime soon. Truthfully, he didn't even know why Blaise and Draco were fighting or what they were fighting over. _Knowing his mates, it was possible something insignificant_ , he thought.

Sending Theo, who had started arguing heatedly with the pair, a pitying glance, he snuck out of the dormitory, walking through and out of the Slytherin common room. He didn't really have a particular destination in mind. Right now, anywhere was better than the Slytherin dormitory.

It was when he was passing the abandoned classrooms on the third floor that Harry heard voices muttering. He stopped, craning his head in a vain effort to hear better. _It was two distinct voices,_ he decided. _They sound familiar…Could it be?_

He walked into the abandoned classroom (which he vaguely recognized from one of his past after curfew adventures) and saw them.

The Weasley twins were huddled in a corner of the classroom, a sheet of parchment on the desk in front of them. One of them held a quill in hand and was in the process of scribbling something down.

They hadn't noticed Harry's entrance, and he decided to make himself known.

"Fancy seeing you lot here," he said casually, leaning against the wall. "Up to no good, I expect."

Both twins looked up at once, shock plain to see on their faces. They had immediately tensed, as if they were wary of an enemy, but had relaxed upon seeing who it was.

"Harrikins," they chorused, causing Harry to grin. "Of course we aren't."

The one clutching a quill in his hand was the first one to speak after their greeting. "What brings you here?" He asked the younger boy.

"The other blokes in my dorm were being prats," he deadpanned. "Well, except for Theo," he added hastily. "What about you lot? Why are you holed up in some dusty classroom?"

The twins exchanged a pair of secretive glances that instantly put Harry on alert. While he was friends with the twins, he didn't necessarily trust them not to prank him.

The twin on the left cleared his throat. "We're deciding how to best capture a nundu that we found in the Forbidden Forest and use it to off some buggers." The other twin nodded seriously, and both had grim looks on their faces.

Harry blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. He suspected the twins were kidding, but one could never know with the Weasley twins…

He simply cocked an eyebrow, waiting for the twins to speak once more.

"We're not trying to capture a nundu," Twin One admitted.

"We're planning a prank," the other said.

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or feel relieved. "Should I be worried?"

The twins pretended to consider his question. "Probably, yeah."

"Who's the target?" Harry was curious; he hoped it wasn't someone he actually liked.

"McLaggen," both twins said. "Kennedon and Falloway, too," one of the twins added. "Want to help?"

Harry pretended to scoff. "Of course not. McLaggen's my best mate."

Twin Two made an obscene gesture. "And we thought you were an alright bloke," Twin One said sadly, wiping a fake tear from his face.

Harry snorted. "Of course I want to help. McLaggen's a ponce."

The twins exchanged yet another set of glances. "That's the reaction we were expecting," Twin One said.

"We thought there might have been something wrong with you, mate," Twin Two admitted, causing the younger boy to snicker.

"And what do you mean?" Harry couldn't resist asking.

Twin One paused. "Well, you could've been hit by one of the Confundus charms we were shooting earlier in the Charms corridor."

"Or you could've been gotten amnesia from falling from the top of the Astronomy Tower."

"Or you could've been mauled by our pet nundu."

Harry sent both twins a disturbed look. "Or maybe you're perfectly normal," Twin Two said. The other twin nodded heartily in agreement.

"So, what are you lot planning for McLaggen and his mates?"

The twins showed Harry the piece of parchment, on which several lines of scrawled notes were written. Harry read them closely, squinting his eyes. Fred (or George) wrote small, and some of the words were hard to make out.

He couldn't stop a smile from breaking out on his face once he reached the end of the parchment.

Twin One raised both eyebrows. "I take it you like what we've planned."

Harry deliberately refrained from answering, and worried looks appeared on both twins' faces.

"Did we forget something?"

"Are the dungbombs too much?"

"Nope," Harry said simply.

"Don't tell me McLaggen's got detention today," Twin One groaned.

"Is Snape still pissed about that colour changing prank we pulled a few days ago?"

"Not in the slightest," Harry replied in a monotone.

"Then what?" Twin Two sounded confused.

"I can't believe you two," Harry said in what he thought was a disappointed tone. "After all we've been through, you lot still forget the most important thing."

The twins wore equally confused looks.

Harry paused dramatically. "Where's the nundu?"

 **AN 2:**

 **1\. The next chapter will be the start of Harry's fourth year, in which the Tournament is introduced to Hogwarts' students.**

 **2\. I just wanted to make another point clear: Amycus Carrow is Headmaster of Hogwarts. MacNair is the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Bellatrix Lestrange is Voldemort's second in command and the main head of the Serpents. Lucius Malfoy is thought to be a former Serpent, but he still does his fair share of work for Voldemort. Regulus Black is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and he is also a Serpent. Augustus Rookwood and Barty Crouch are both Serpents.**

 **3\. The Tonks/Black/Malfoy dinner: Draco doesn't like the Tonks family; he's been raised idolizing the pureblood traditions and believes in pureblood supremacy. He doesn't like Ted Tonks because he's a muggleborn, Andromeda Tonks because she was a former Black who married a muggleborn (and is also his mother's sister), and Nymphadora (Tonks) because she's a half blood. He's really just there because of Harry and Sirius.**

 **4\. I'm trying to make Harry's learning of both Occlumency and Legilimency realistic. He's not going to magically (yes, I know what I said) wake up one day and become a master Legilimens who can destroy Voldemort's mind within three seconds. No.**

 **At the end of his first year, Harry has** **acceptable** **Occlumency shields, which translates to being slightly higher than a novice. His shields can keep out a slight probe, but (as shown by Regulus) said shields can be destroyed easily by any competent Legilimens.**

 **Regulus also instructs Harry to read the theory behind Legilimency because, let's face it, learning the mind arts takes a while. As in years. Do not worry; Harry will have plenty of trouble with Legilimency and furthering his Occlumency skills.**

 **5\. There's a bit of humour in this story, but this story will not be labeled as a Humour story. Don't ask me why.**


	11. Chapter 10: Hostile Maneuvers

**Chapter 10: Hostile Maneuvers**

 ** _27 August 1994_**

 ** _Black Manor_**

 _"_ _Oi, Harry!" His godfather's too cheerful voice snapped Harry out of his trance-like state. He blinked blearily, accidentally dropping the book he had been using for his Potions Essay onto the ground. The essay itself was only a measly four lines in length so far (mostly due to the unplanned nap he had just taken), and he resolved to work on it more tenaciously after he found out what Sirius wanted._

 _His mind just registered that he had, in his haste to wake from his slumber, dropped his book. Shrugging to himself, he made no move to pick it up. That could wait, he decided._

 _Sirius chose that moment to enter the room; apparently he had grown impatient at Harry's slowness. The Lord Black stopped at the doorway, looking at his godson in befuddlement._

 _"_ _What?" Harry snapped, not in the best of moods. He had just been woken up from a really, really nice dream._

 _Sirius hesitated. "Um, Prongslet, why do you have ink stains on your face?"_

 _Harry swore, conjuring a mirror. Indeed, there were several noticeable ink stains on his face from the ink on the parchment, which he had fallen asleep on._

 _Sirius was obviously expecting some sort of explanation, and Harry reluctantly answered the question._

 _"_ _I fell asleep on my Potions Essay," he said shortly, watching Sirius' face light up in glee. "Don't you dare say anything right now," he warned._

 _Sirius gave him a two fingered salute that he had most likely learned from a muggle television show. "You have my word," he said solemnly._

 _"_ _Which doesn't amount to much," Harry replied, to which Sirius nodded vigorously. "What do you want?"_

 _Sirius assumed an injured expression. "Can't a godfather just check on his godson out of the goodness of his heart?" He mimed clutching his heart with both hands._

 _Harry gave him a flat stare that told the man exactly what he thought._

 _"_ _I guess not." Sirius sighed dramatically. "Kids these days…" When he received no reply, he decided to cut to the chase._

 _"_ _All right, blondie's father," Harry snorted at the nickname Sirius had given Draco and, by extension, his father. "has heard from the Ministry that there will be an important tournament this year at Hogwarts."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I know already," Harry interrupted. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Barty Crouch told me," he explained._

 _"_ _And where did you find the time to meet Barty Crouch?" There was a disbelieving note in Sirius' voice._

 _"_ _When you so kindly woke me up at an ungodly hour, kidnapped me, took me to the Ministry, and proceeded to ditch me after seeing a group of your old drinking buddies," Harry recited in a monotone._

 _Sirius winced. "I apologized for that, you know."_

 _"_ _Yeah, two weeks after, when Mum found out," Harry retorted._

 _"_ _So what did Crouch Jr end up telling you?" Sirius said in an attempt to steer the conversation somewhere else._

 _"_ _He just told me about the tournament and how the champion gets a free pass into Serpents training. Oh, and it's fourth years and up."_

 _"_ _That sums it up pretty well," Sirius noted. He went quiet for a few moments._

 _"_ _Harry?"_

 _"_ _Hmm?"_

 _"_ _You want to enter the tournament, don't you?"_

 _Harry paused. He really wasn't sure what Sirius' reaction would be, but he was bound to find out later if he didn't say anything now. "Of course I do, just like everyone else does."_

 _"_ _Look," Sirius said, losing his normal jovial mood. "I know you're going to enter no matter what, and that I can't stop you." He spoke in a matter of fact way, and Harry nodded automatically before he even knew what his godfather had said._

 _"_ _Just don't do anything dumb that gets you killed or injured."_

 _"_ _Don't worry. I'm not that much of an imbecile."_

 _"_ _...Right," came Sirius' skeptical answer. "I have something to give you that'll let you talk with me immediately when you're at Hogwarts."_

 _"_ _I thought Christmas was in December, Padfoot." Harry couldn't resist a cheeky response._

 _"_ _Silence, brat." He shuffled around, bringing both hands out from behind his back, revealing a pair of gold rimmed mirrors._

 _Harry blinked. Sirius wasn't joking around, was he? "Padfoot," he said slowly. "Unlike you, I'm not that vain. I don't need a personal mirror."_

 _Sirius snorted, tossing one of the mirrors to Harry, who caught it with ease. "I'll be right back," he said to his godson, walking swiftly out of the room and into the empty hallway. Harry heard a muffled noise as his godfather said something, and he almost dropped his mirror when it lit up, reflecting Sirius' face instead of his own reflection like it had a few seconds before._

 _He swore. "The hell, Sirius?" The image of his godfather in the mirror laughed uproariously._

 _"_ _What is this?" Harry repeated, seriously confused at that point._

 _Sirius stopped laughing, though he still wore a knowing smirk on his face. "It's a two way mirror. You and I both have one. If I say your name, 'Harry Potter,' to my mirror, yours will heat up and show my face, and vice versa."_

 _Harry's eyes widened. "That's brilliant," he exclaimed._

 _Sirius grinned. "Thank you very much. It's an easy and quick way to communicate. James and I used to use these all the time when we were in separate detentions. You'll be able to talk to me immediately if you need to."_

 _"_ _Thanks, Sirius," said Harry sincerely, knowing what a prized possession the mirror was._

 _His godfather simply smirked, bringing a finger to his lips and winking conspiratorially._

XXXXX

 **1 September 1994**

 **Hogwarts, Great Hall**

It was finally happening; they were being informed about the Tournament.

 _About bloody time, too._ The thought came to him before he pushed it to the back of his mind, where it sat contently.

Harry, like the rest of the students at Hogwarts, looked attentively at Amycus Carrow, who had stood up. Dinner was over, and everyone had eaten their fair share of food. It was now time for the yearly announcements by the headmaster, and Harry was eagerly awaiting the introduction of the tournament Barty Crouch had initially told him about.

"Welcome to another great year at Hogwarts," said Carrow, whose dark eyes flickered from face to face as he observed the students. He smiled thinly.

Harry, having a large amount of experience with long (and boring) speeches, tuned out the rest of the Headmaster's welcome back to Hogwarts introduction until Draco nudged him inconspicuously.

"You can start paying attention now," the Malfoy heir whispered with a smirk. Harry looked around the hall. There was a varying amount of interest at the Headmaster's speech. Blaise was barely paying attention; the boy was furiously scribbling something down on a piece of parchment while Theo looked on in amusement, shaking his head and reaching for Blaise's quill. Blaise scowled, batting the other boy's hand away in his usual dramatic fashion. On the other end of the hall, Ernie MacMillan of Hufflepuff was sitting straight up in his seat, looking attentively at Carrow, nodding his head seriously once in a while as if Carrow was making an important point in a Wizengamot meeting. Harry snorted quietly at the thought, turning his focus to the front of the hall, where Carrow stood.

"…It is my honour to announce that Hogwarts will be hosting a grand tournament throughout this year. It is not to be confused with the Ending Ceremony Tournament," he trailed off, glaring as students began to murmur amongst themselves in excitement. The Gryffindor table was particularly loud, and Harry, to his great amusement, spotted Cormac McLaggen talking to a crowd of other Gryffindors, mostly likely already boasting to them about how his spot in the tournament was almost guaranteed. The offenders quieted at once, and Carrow nodded his head in satisfaction before continuing.

"The Ministry, in recent years, has been researching the Triwizard Tournament in an attempt to bring said tournament back to life. However, it was deemed too dangerous, and the research was discontinued. The Midnight Tournament was created for Hogwarts students and only Hogwarts students. Any student fourth year and above will be able to enter." Carrow paused once more, but he had no need to; all attention was firmly fixed upon him.

"The Ministry has lent Hogwarts a magical artifact that will decide which students are the most worthy to be contestants. That artifact is set to arrive exactly two weeks from now, and students will be permitted to enter their names on that same day. That is all, for now. I bid you good night, and welcome back to Hogwarts," Carrow concluded, sitting down and dismissing the Hogwarts student body.

XXXXX

 **4 September 1994**

 **Hogwarts Library**

Harry gazed bemusedly at the blonde standing in front of him. He was in a hurry; being late to Potions class was never good at best, and a health hazard at worst. The blonde, whose name Harry didn't know (he vaguely recognized her as a friend of one of the younger Weasleys, and she wore the Ravenclaw crest on her robes) was standing in front of the exit of the library, blocking him from leaving.

"Is there something you wanted?" He finally blurted out, almost at the end of his patience.

She smiled dreamily at him. "Harry Potter." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

He blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah, that's me," he said cautiously, discreetly reaching for his wand. One never truly knew who your enemies were, and he wasn't about to be caught with his trousers down by a girl who was younger than him. "Do you need something?" He repeated his earlier question.

"The wracklespurts around you disappeared," she said, ignoring his question and shaking her head in wonder.

Not for the first time, Harry was stumped. "What?" He said, not comprehending what the girl had said. "Who are you?"

She stepped back, frowning slightly. "I've forgotten to introduce myself. How silly of me. Father would be so disappointed." She shook her head again. "I'm Luna Lovegood of House Ravenclaw." She gave a little bow, twirling at the end.

"Harry Potter of House Slytherin," Harry introduced. He wasn't sure if he should bow back, so he settled for awkwardly ducking his head, an action that made him cringe slightly. "As you apparently already know."

There was a pause, and Harry noted that the girl was staring intensely at him, as if he were an interesting puzzle she was trying to solve. "What are those wracklesport thingies you were talking about?" He asked suddenly, trying to focus her attention on something else. Anything but him.

"Wracklespurts," she corrected him, blinking her eyes rapidly for a few seconds. "They're invisible creatures that zoom through your ears and make your brain go all fuzzy."

"…Okay," said Harry in what he hoped was a neutral tone. He had no clue what Luna was talking about but didn't want to offend her.

"I was following a few, and they disappeared as soon as they came near you," continued Luna, unfazed by Harry's apparent confusion.

"So I'm in danger of my brain being taken control of by invisible creatures?" He questioned, thoroughly bewildered.

"They're not an immediate danger," Luna reassured him. "I believe that Professor Snape is more of a danger to you than they are right now."

Harry's eyes widened. "How do you know?"

She laughed, the sound childlike and free. "Are you not late to Potions class, which automatically ensures that Professor Snape is irritated with you?" _Was she…teasing him?_

He shrugged indifferently. "He's always irritated with me, one way or another." Harry relaxed, trusting that Luna was not a threat. She hadn't showed any sign of ill will towards him, and her behaviour was a bit too eccentric to be all fake.

"Because of your father?"

He frowned. "How do you know?"

She positively beamed. "Would you believe me if I said magic?"

Harry snorted in reply, and she nodded agreeably. "I thought so."

She paused, blue eyes focused on something that Harry couldn't see. "I see things," she admitted in a distant voice.

"What things?" He inquired.

"Sometimes, I have visions of people and events while I sleep. I usually can't remember much when I wake up, but there's times, albeit rarely, when my visions are as clear as crystal."

Harry narrowed his eyes. She continued, speaking softly. "I know about you, Harry Potter. You're going to enter the tournament in hopes of becoming a Serpent. Your godfather is Sirius Black, and your mentor is Regulus Black, and both dearly want to injure the other. Next year, you'll be a prefect. Shall I go on?"

"What do you want from me?" His voice was rather hoarse, and Harry inwardly cursed himself.

"To see you make the right choice," she said simply. "I'll see you soon, Harry." And with that, she was gone, skipping away like nothing had transpired between them. Harry noticed that she was even humming to herself.

With a sigh at how things were always complicated at Hogwarts, he made his way to the Slytherin dorms. It had been fifteen minutes since the start of Potions, and it took at least another five minutes to get to the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room and dorms were.

Harry knew that he would be better off skipping the class entirely rather than show up late; if he showed up around twenty minutes into the class, Snape would figuratively (and likely, literally) bit his head off. Pondering that happy thought, he never noticed that Luna Lovegood, who had walked away in the opposite direction, had turned back around. Her dreamy gaze had sharpened considerably, betraying the intelligence she normally hid under her mask, and her thoughts drifted to an obscure vision she had had close to three years ago, pondering what it entailed…

XXXXX

 **6 September 1994**

 **Charms classroom**

Harry didn't really know what possessed them to sit right next to the Gryffindors during Charms. He blamed Blaise, who, in his laziness, had elected to slump down in a seat around one of the tables closest to the door, which, to the other Slytherin boys' dismay, was situated right next to the table of rowdy Gryffindors.

He sighed loudly, shaking his head. _It wouldn't do to dwell on the past, no matter how recent it might have been,_ he thought ruefully. _It was only one lesson, after all._

He found himself regretting his words a mere fifteen minutes later. Flitwick had finished his lecture for the day, instructing his students to practice and review charms from the last year. Harry had obediently run through a series of charms that they'd learned, earning praise from Flitwick, who had mentioned how his talent for Charms reminded him of Harry's mother, who had been a Charms prodigy.

Not so far away, the boisterous Gryffindors had chosen to use their time for another purpose: idle chatter and gossip. Harry normally wouldn't have cared in the slightest, but he could hear _every single word_ the Gryffindors spoke, and it was grating on his nerves. He gritted his teeth, willing himself not to say anything. Draco had no such reservations, nodding curtly towards the Gryffindor table.

"Must they be so obnoxiously loud," he complained in a voice that suggested he was suffering greatly. Even Theo, the most patient one of all of the Slytherin boys, was close to snapping at the Gryffindors.

Seamus Finnigan snapped his head back, glaring at Draco. "Must you be such a bloody wanker?" Most of the Gryffindors snickered appreciatively. Hermione, Ron, and Neville, who were sitting at a different table further away, refrained from laughing; they looked distinctly uncomfortable, as though they could already predict some sort of fight would be breaking out between the two quarreling groups.

Draco was unfazed. "Some of us here are actually trying to become better wizards in the future, not drunken layabouts, Finnigan." He turned so that his back was facing the Gryffindors once more, a clear dismissal and an obvious sign he thought they weren't important at all.

Predictably, Finnigan snarled in outrage. He had never liked Draco, and Draco was happy to reciprocate that particular feeling. "We were just talking about the Midnight Tournament. It's a good thing none of you snakes will be competing in it," Lavender Brown said with a haughty sniff of disdain. Her friend nodded in agreement.

"Oh really?" drawled Blaise. "And why not?" He inspected his fingernails, not looking at the Gryffindors.

Finnigan rejoined the conversation. "You need bravery, intelligence, and strength to compete," he proclaimed. "And you lot don't have any."

"Funny thing is, neither do you," Theo shot back. "Have you ever _tried_ opening a book since you arrived at Hogwarts?"

"Have you ever tried not being such a slimy git, Nott?" Dean Thomas interjected, coming to his friend's defense.

"And besides, none of you snakes can even duel," exclaimed Parvati Patil, who looked pleased with herself with verbalizing the accusation.

Draco snorted loudly. "At least we can properly hold our wands, not drop them whenever we get scared." He was referring to what happened during their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson in their 2nd year. Professor Black had abruptly started shooting spells at the class of Gryffindors and Slytherins. His first spell had zoomed towards Lavender Brown, who had shrieked loudly and dropped her wand, holding up her hands as though they could possibly block a spell.

The girl in question scowled at the blonde. "At least we don't have to rely on cheating to win, like some people here."

"Like who?" Theo challenged.

"Like Potter, for example," said Finnigan, rudely gesturing towards Harry.

"We all know he wouldn't have been able to beat Cormac in the ECT in our first year if he hadn't cheated." Brown huffed.

Harry's eye twitched. She was kidding, right?

"Actually, the reason McLaggen lost to Harry was because there was a wide gap of ability in that duel," replied Theo.

Finnigan made a skeptical noise. "He had to blind Cormac before he did anything. And then he summoned a bloody snake to do his dirty work for him." _They actually weren't kidding, were they?_

Harry sighed. "It's called tactics, Finnigan. Some of us who aren't that dense know what they are."

"Say, Potter, you want to enter the tournament, don't you?" asked Patil slyly, sending a meaningful look towards Lavender and Seamus.

"Of course," said Harry.

"Then I challenge you to a wizards duel," spoke Seamus loudly.

Harry arched an eyebrow. Next to him, Draco did the same. Blaise simply sniggered.

"Where and when?" He drawled, earning another glare from Finnigan.

"Tomorrow night at midnight in the trophy room," replied the Irish boy. "Who's your second?"

"Draco," Harry said immediately. The Malfoy heir smirked at Finnigan. It was his _I know something you don't_ smirk, and Harry silently applauded his best mate for his unique ability of getting under the skin of his enemies. "And yours?"

"Dean," returned Finnigan.

"Terms?" Blaise wore a mocking expression on his face as he asked the question. Finnigan hesitated. He obviously hadn't thought that far yet. Lavender, seeing her housemate's indecision, came to the rescue.

With a flip of her long blond hair, she sniffed again (Harry had begun to notice that sniffing was one of the few things the girl was good at). "If Potter loses, he can't enter the tournament at all."

"That means nobody else can enter his name for him," added Dean sharply, eyes fixed on Theo and Blaise, who automatically assumed expressions of extreme innocence.

Harry hesitated. He was fairly sure that he would be able to best Finnigan in a duel, but there was always a chance that something could go wrong. And he wasn't sure he wanted to risk his chance at competing in the tournament.

"Having second thoughts, Potter?" Finnigan taunted his adversary. Brown and Patil were watching him like hawks. Harry knew, at that moment, he didn't really have a choice. He could accept Finnigan's duel at the risk of not being able to enter his name in the tournament, or he could refuse. Refusal meant being able to enter his name, but a quick glance at the Gryffindors (especially Brown and Patil) told him they wouldn't hesitate in spreading the word that he refused to duel Finnigan and other unsavory rumours that would no doubt tarnish his reputation.

 _He was,_ Harry decided, _stuck between a rock and a sharp edge, as the saying went._

He regained his voice. "Of course not, Finnigan. The duel's on."

Finnigan smirked in satisfaction, opening his mouth to deliver one more taunt.

"Hello boys," came the cheerful voice of their charms instructor. "Not slacking, are we?"

"No, Professor," said Draco smoothly. "We were just asking the Gryffindors to not be so loud and disruptive." One of the Gryffindors hissed; Harry didn't know who. He silently applauded Draco for his quick and smooth reply.

"Well then, if that's all, kindly go back to work," Flitwick said before walking back to the front of the classroom.

"Nice going, Malfoy," whispered Patil furiously.

Theo turned to Finnigan. "What if you lose the duel?"

"What?" was Finnigan's reply.

Theo sighed, speaking slowly like he was talking to a small child. "If Harry somehow loses, he won't be able to enter the tournament. What if you lose?"

"Then I won't enter the tournament," answered Finnigan.

Blaise snickered. "It's not like you'd be picked anyway."

"Stuff it, Zabini."

"I-"

"It's fine, Blaise. I accept the terms of the duel," said Harry, looking at the Gryffindors with thinly concealed irritation.

"Then we're on," was Finnigan's final response. "Remember, t-"

"Tomorrow night, trophy room, midnight," Harry finished in a monotone. "We aren't all dense like you, you know."

XXXXX

 **DADA Classroom**

"Focus." Regulus Black snarled the word for what seemed to be the twentieth time that day.

"I'm trying." Harry scowled, annoyed at his professor's less than sympathetic words of encouragement.

"Clearly." Regulus snorted. "Because that's why I haven't felt the slightest probe of Legilimency since we started fifteen minutes ago."

Harry bit back a scathing retort with great difficulty.

"You're not trying hard enough," was Regulus' criticism.

"It isn't that easy for us imbeciles, you know," Harry ground out.

Harry closed his eyes in concentration. _Why did the mind arts have to be so bloody difficult?_

At one point during the summer after his first year at Hogwarts, Regulus Black had arrived (uninvited, of course, to Sirius' great irritation) at Black Manor, requesting to test Harry's Occlumency once more. Harry's Occlumency barriers had been deemed "acceptable," and he had been given a tome on Legilimency by Regulus to study. The book had covered mostly theory and the history of Legilimency, much to the relief of Sirius Black, who didn't exactly approve of his godson learning the mind arts.

Regulus had refused to start teaching Harry Legilimency until his third year, a choice Harry grudgingly understood. In the two years he had had, Harry had read the tome from beginning to end countless times, committing important points to memory. It had been a difficult task; the author had been determined to write as cryptically as possible, and Harry had had to ask Sirius about some piece of information multiple times, to his great annoyance. He didn't see why the people who wrote about mind arts always felt the need to write so obscurely, as though they were purposely trying to make their readers fail in their efforts.

Trying to understand Legilimency and merely reading about it were two very different things, a point which was made clear to Harry during that two year period. And, in his third year, he had discovered (not to his great surprise; he had expected it) that understanding Legilimency and actually using Legilimency were also very different.

His lessons with Professor Black in his third year had been, to put it plainly, hell. Regulus had always been a fairly stern and strict instructor, but come Harry's third year, he become even more unrelenting and vicious.

It hadn't helped that Harry was still abysmally challenged by the mind arts. He had been told, rather bluntly and rudely, by Regulus after one of their sessions that he obviously had no affinity for the mind arts in general. Harry had to admit Regulus was correct.

"Come on, Potter. I don't have all day," drawled Regulus. Harry blinked. Regulus' use of his surname hinted at the professor's growing annoyance.

 _As if this is entirely my fault._ He grumbled under his breath, careful that Regulus didn't hear. He was sure that he'd earn a sharp rebuke from his defense professor, who detested any sort of complaint from his students.

Knowing his professor was expecting yet another try at Legilimency, Harry dismissed all of the unhelpful thoughts his protesting mind had kindly provided him with, closing his eyes, frowning with concentration…

(Twenty minutes later)

Regulus Black sighed. "You know what I'm about to say." It wasn't a question, and Harry nodded reluctantly.

"Your efforts at Legilimency are, at best, weak and failing. At best, they are extremely pitiable." He sent a searching glance towards his young student, who had accepted the words with a grimace. His harsh gaze softened imperceptibly, and he spoke in a lower voice.

"Do not forget that matters such as these take time to learn, often requiring many years of preparation before even starting. You've been doing astoundingly well for your age, and yet I have been unrelentingly hard on you." He paused. "I don't not regret this. I will continue to be hard on you and will expect you to do your best, even when faced with incredible odds."

Harry nodded shortly. "I understand," he replied softly, earning an approving glance from Regulus, who stood up.

"Then our next meeting will be exactly a week from now. The same time and place, as you already know." Regulus turned his attention from Harry to something on his desk, clearly dismissing the boy.

Harry stood, respectfully inclining his head towards his professor in a gesture of thanks before exiting the classroom, shutting the door behind him with a click.

XXXXX

 **7 September 1994**

 **Great Hall: 8:37 a.m.**

"Finnigan's approaching," noted Blaise, casually taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. His eyes never left the boy whom he was watching closely.

Harry's head shot up. Indeed, Seamus Finnigan was making his way towards the Slytherin table, Dean Thomas lagging behind him.

"What could that prat possibly want?" He mused out loud, biting into a slice of ham.

"We're about to find out," said Theo, who was watching the two Gryffindors approach them with interest.

The two Gryffindors stood uneasily in front of their Slytherin counterparts, uncomfortable with being so close to the table of their most hated rivals.

"Finnigan and Thomas," greeted Draco. "Forfeiting already? It's not even 9 o'clock."

Finnigan hesitated, looking like he was having an internal struggle. To Harry's surprise, the Gryffindor boy did not take Draco's bait, instead turning towards Harry, who lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

There was another pause. Finnigan swallowed. "No seconds tonight."

Harry frowned in puzzlement. Finnigan continued, speaking stiffly. "No seconds in our duel tonight. Just me and you. No Malfoy. Dean's not coming, either." For some reason, the boy wasn't looking Harry or any of the other Slytherins in the eyes.

Before Harry could reply, Finnigan was already walking away, his head down. Thomas sent a measured look at the Slytherin fourth years before hurrying after his friend.

"Well, that was…odd." Theo summed up all of their thoughts.

"And I was looking forward to hexing him," commented Draco.

XXXXXX

 **11:52 p.m.**

 **Slytherin Boys' Dormitory**

"You better not lose to a Gryffindork," warned Draco. His words were teasing, but Harry knew his blond friend was also being serious.

Harry scoffed. "Oh, bugger off." He was sitting on his bed in their dorm. Blaise was sprawled across his own bed, and Theo and Draco were sitting on Draco's bed, playing a game of wizarding chess.

"Say, isn't it about time for you to go?" asked Theo, who was concentrating on the chess game. He smirked victoriously as one of his knights destroyed Draco's bishop.

Harry cast a quick Tempus, rising from his spot on his bed. "I guess so. I'll be off, then. Wish me luck."

"You won't need it." Blaise yawned, covering his mouth with the back of one hand. "But good luck."

"Are you sure you don't want us to sneak in after you?" questioned Theo. "Just to watch your back."

Harry shook his head adamantly. They had had this discussion multiple times already. "Finnigan will use that as an excuse when he loses."

"Fine. We'll come in wands blazing if you don't show up before one, yeah?"

Harry hesitated. "You remember how to cast a Disillusionment Charm?" He asked doubtfully.

Theo scowled. "Of course we do. Blaise just forgot to do it that one time."

"Oi," objected Blaise from his position on his bed. "I've apologized for that already. And besides, that was more than a year ago, you prat."

"Don't forget, we have your map," added Draco, who gestured towards the Marauder's Map on the nightstand next to his bed. "And besides, it's not like Finnigan will even land a hit on you."

"Then I'll be off." And with that, Harry departed the room, heading towards the trophy room.

The castle was eerily silent as Harry briskly made his way towards the trophy room, under the cover of a well-cast Disillusionment Charm. _It was strange how quiet it could be,_ he thought. He was used to the various noises of the castle during the daytime, as people made their way towards classes, laughing and joking with others.

But now, in the middle of the night, the only noises present were the soft sound of his footsteps and the rustling of the cloak he wore.

Harry suddenly froze as he rounded a corner. A pair of patrolling prefects were making their way towards him, chatting quietly as they did their rounds.

"…and then they ended up with detention with Snape," the male prefect said smugly. His female counterpart looked at him adoringly. She suddenly sneezed, the sound particularly loud in the deserted corridor.

"It's always so cold around here," she complained, wrapping her arms around herself. The male prefect frowned, whipping out his wand and flicking it once, casting a Warming charm on his counterpart.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. "It sucks that we're the last ones patrolling this side of the castle tonight."

"No problem," he replied easily. "Don't worry, this is the last time we have to patrol here this week."

"Thank Merlin," she sighed, and, within the span of a minute, they walked around another corner, disappearing from Harry's view.

 _Two more corridors to go,_ he told himself. _And then I can kick Finnigan's arse and go back to sleep._

He was passing an empty classroom when he heard a screech. He doubled back, glancing into the classroom.

To his amusement, Peeves was floating around a shaking Ms. Norris, cackling in glee as he launched water balloons at the feline, who wailed as she tried to escape.

He sniggered, then abruptly stopped when the cat ran towards the classroom exit, where he stood.

Backtracking furiously, he managed to avoid getting trampled by the cat, who ran out of the classroom and out of sight. Peeves, still cackling, chased after her. Harry breathed a sigh of relief at another near accident. _Two close calls in one night,_ he thought drily. _Shall we go for a third?_

After another few minutes of quick walking, he stood in front of the entrance of the trophy room. He breathed deeply. _Here we are…Let's get it over with._ He arranged his facial features into a mask of supreme indifference, wand already drawn. Emerald eyes narrowing, he pushed open the door, which creaked loudly, making him wince at the unexpected noise.

Stepping into the room, he was surprised to find the lights already turned on, but no one was in sight. Frowning, he glanced around the room. _That's odd..I guess Finnigan's late._ He held his wand in a defensive stance, in case Finnigan decided to get the drop on him.

He cast yet another Tempus. It was exactly 12 o'clock, the time Finnigan had told him to be there. _I guess Gryffindor honour doesn't extend to being on time._ Harry's left eye twitched in annoyance. He could have been getting some well-deserved sleep at the moment, and he didn't exactly appreciate Finnigan's untimeliness, especially when the Gryffindor was the one to challenge him to a duel in the first place.

 _I'll give him ten minutes. And he better have a damn good excuse for being late._ Harry amused himself with inspecting the many trophies arranged carefully around the room, snickering to himself when he remembered how Sirius had told him that he had spent a great deal of time in detention polishing the very same trophies Harry was inspecting.

It was close to fifteen minutes later when Harry finally exited the trophy room. Finnigan hadn't showed up, and he was done with waiting.

Moving briskly down the length of the corridor, Harry froze. He could've sworn he heard something…but a quick glance to his right and left showed nothing out of the ordinary. He shrugged. Wandering around the school in the middle of the night had made him more wary than normal. But at the same time, his instincts were telling him something wasn't right…

And then he heard it. Something moved slightly, and Harry whirled around, spotting the slightly visible edges of a poor Disillusionment charm. His eyes widened, and he aimed his wand at the figure, the incantation of a spell already at his lips.

"Fuck, he's spotted us," a voice grunted. "Get him!" Figures materialized around him, their faces hidden behind the hoods of the black cloaks they wore. _Bugger; this isn't good at all._

And suddenly, he was under attack from all sides, and all hell broke loose.

The deserted corridor was bathed in a multitude of lights, and spells flew towards the lone figure in the middle of the corridor.

 _It was an ambush, and a good one too,_ Harry thought grimly, gasping as he was hit with a stray Cutting Curse. Blood dripped from the newly opened cut on his cheek, and he gritted his teeth.

"PROTEGO!" Harry roared, and a shimmering blue shield appeared, coating him from head to toe. Within a second, six spells bounced off of his shield, which wavered but held fast. He grunted, stepping back unconsciously.

His eyes widened after seeing a sickly yellow spell zoom towards his shield. _Merlin, they wouldn't dare try to kill me, would they?_

His ambushers certainly didn't mind doing great harm to him. "Wear down his shield," commanded the same voice that had ordered the start of the ambush. Harry briefly wondered if they had also cast voice changing spells on themselves. "On three, one, two, THREE!"

A slew of curses hit his shield again, and Harry spotted Cutting, Blasting, and Severing curses. He grunted in pain. He was gradually weakening, and the power he needed to power his shield was becoming too much for him. He hadn't had the chance to return fire at all, his focus on shielding himself and trying desperately to search for a way to escape.

Another round of curses hit his shield again, and a slim crack appeared. "This is the end, then," noted Harry, smiling tightly, tiny beads of sweat running down his face. He wouldn't be able to defend the next set of curses, but he sure as hell wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Dispelling his shield before it could finally shatter, he twisted rapidly. "AVIS!" He yelled, and a flock of birds appeared, swiftly flying towards his enemies and distracting them for the moment.

He gracefully rolled to the side, firing as many spells as he could at his unknown adversaries. "Stupefy, stupefy, expulso, CONFRINGO!" Harry smirked in satisfaction when he heard two thumps. _Two fuckers down, many more to go._

"He dropped his shield. Keep firing," another voice, slightly hoarse from yelling the incantations of many spells, shouted amongst the chaos. Harry belatedly noticed someone had vanished his birds, and that he had become the lone target once again. _They were pretty birds too…_ There were still far too many people for him to combat. He rolled out of the way of a knockback jinx…right into a disarming spell.

Despite his best efforts, his wand flew out of his hand and into the hand of one of his hooded opponents.

"Nice try, Potter, but I'm afraid you've lost." Someone laughed unpleasantly.

Drawing himself up to his full height, he stared defiantly at them, not bothering with a response.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Their leader questioned impatiently, jerking his head irritably. "Stun him. We've got work to do."

And before the vibrant red spell hit him, Harry closed his eyes _. Hopefully the others find me soon,_ he thought, before he sank into unconsciousness, slumping down to the unforgiving floor.

XXXXX

 **12:57 a.m.**

 **Slytherin Boys' Dormitory**

"Why isn't he back yet?" Theo was worried, which was understandable. Harry had left more than an hour ago, and he hadn't come back.

"Check the map," suggested Blaise. "He's probably taking his time getting back here."

"What was the password again?" It was Draco. "I'm up to no good, or something like that, right?"

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," intoned Theo, eyes on the map, which, upon hearing the password, had come to life.

"Oh, bugger," he said softly. Draco was immediately by his side, peering past Theo at the map. His gray eyes widened in an uncommon show of surprise.

The dot labeled Harry Potter was currently located in the Hospital Wing.

"I knew we should have gone with him," hissed Draco, grabbing his wand and stashing it in his robes. "Let's go."

Blaise leapt to his feet, following the blonde, who was already exiting their dormitory. Theo hesitated briefly before pocketing the map and following the other boys.

"Disillusionment charms, you gits," Theo whispered, the sound unnaturally harsh. He had cast his own Disillusionment charm as soon as he exited the dormitory, shivering slightly as the odd sensation of casting the charm on himself passed. It felt like someone had cracked a raw egg on his head, and he detested the feeling. Draco and Blaise complied, and soon they were hurrying out of the common room, mostly invisible to anyone who happened to be in the corridors.

They hadn't traveled for more than five minutes when they spotted Neville, his long face pale, running towards them, presumably heading towards the dungeons.

"Should we stop him?" asked Blaise as Neville drew closer to them. Without bothering to wait for an answer, he stepped forward, tapping Neville on the shoulder.

Predictably, the boy froze, his eyes wide in fear when he failed to see anyone. His hand immediately shot to his wand.

"Oi, Nev," whispered Blaise. "It's Blaise, Draco, and Theo. Why are you here at this time of night?"

Neville relaxed, dropping the hand that had grasp his wand. "I was hoping to see you lot. I was heading towards your common room right now before you stopped me."

"What happened?" Draco cut in sharply, not in the mood to politely converse. Theo shot him a look, which the blonde pointedly ignored.

"It's Harry." Neville hesitated. "He's in the Hospital Wing."

"We know that. How?" Theo quickly asked.

"I suppose you know about his duel with Seamus, right?" At their nods, Neville continued, speaking briskly. "Well, I don't think Seamus showed up. Harry was ambushed in the corridor next to the trophy room."

"By whom?" Draco questioned.

"I don't know," answered Neville miserably. "We'll find out tomorrow morning, I expect."

"What do you mean? We're heading to the Hospital Wing right now."

Neville hesitated. "I'm supposed to make sure you don't. They don't want anyone visiting Harry right now. He's in pretty bad shape."

"Sod them. They can bugger off," interrupted Blaise, making a rude gesture that had once landed him in detention.

"What he said," Draco spoke, gray eyes determined.

"Wait a minute, Nev. How do you know what happened to Harry in the first place? And who found him?'" Theo, quick on the uptake, spoke up calmly, eyes narrowed.

"Let's head to you lot's common room, and I'll explain there," returned Neville, smiling weakly. "As for who rescued him, it was none other than Professor Black."

XXXXX

 **6 September 1994**

 **Gryffindor Common Room**

 **(The day before the duel)**

Cormac McLaggen quickly whispered the password to the Fat Lady's portrait, hurrying into the Gryffindor common room. He had forgotten his recent written Potions essay in the dormitory, and he felt it prudent to retrieve it before his next class, which was, coincidentally, Potions.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust. He normally wouldn't have bothered with retrieving his homework if he had forgotten it, but it was _Potions._ It was a well-known fact throughout the school that Snape detested Gryffindor, but he seemed to dislike Cormac more than most Gryffindors. Cormac was sure that if he did not turn in his essay, Snape would gleefully dock many a points from the house of lions. And maybe add a detention or two or more, who knew.

 _Blasted bastard,_ he thought sullenly. What he wouldn't give to be able to hex the greasy git. He knew, however, that the possibility of that happening was nonexistent, and his mood soured even more.

"…my duel with Potter tonight," a low voice said.

He halted, turning his head slightly. In a corner of the common room, Seamus Finnigan was boasting to a group of eager Gryffindors. A duel with Potter, the boy had said? Interested, Cormac moved closer until he was within hearing range but not close enough so that he was visible. It wouldn't do to be caught eavesdropping, especially on the younger students. He took cover, quite comically, behind one of the many plush sofas around the common room. He had to duck his head slightly to avoid being seen, but it was a suitable place to eavesdrop on the conversation without the risk of being caught.

"Really, Seamus?" An excited voice chirped. Cormac imagined that the voice belonged to one of the younger Gryffindors. Perhaps one of those Muggleborns who were actually excited to go to classes every day. He sneered at the thought. While he didn't hate Muggleborns like some purebloods, he didn't exactly like them either.

Cormac imagined the Irish boy nodding smugly. "Yep. Challenged him today. This morning in Charms."

"Where?" Another voice, quieter than the first, asked.

"Tomorrow at the trophy room. Midnight, which means I'll be sneaking out after curfew."

"You'll beat him, right?"

"Damn right I will. Knock him down a few pegs, too." Finnigan coughed.

Cormac had heard enough. Standing back up, he moved swiftly towards the other side of the common room, where the older years liked to hold court, his Potions essay forgotten for the moment.

XXXXX

 **6 September 1994**

 **Gryffindor Common Room**

 **(The day before the duel)**

The Gryffindor common room was empty at this time of day. Most of the students were either studying in the library or attending various classes. Seamus Finnigan was not one of them.

"Finnigan," a deep voice stated, and Seamus turned around, seeing a trio of older boys he didn't recognize. _Were they even Gryffindors?_ The thought passed through his head.

He eyed them warily. They were all taller than him and seemed to delight in the younger boy's uncomfortableness.

"Did you fellas want something?" He spoke bravely, eyeing the trio.

"You'll tell Potter that your duel will be only you versus him. No seconds," the blonde boy in the front spoke authoritatively.

"Excuse me?" blurted out Seamus. His eyes widened and his face paled when he found the endpoints of two wands near his neck.

"You heard me, Finnigan. No seconds. Only you and him. So tell Thomas and Malfoy not to show up."

"And if I don't?" Seamus spoke bravely, his voice trembling slightly. The other boys snickered.

"Well, then you'll have to excuse us if our wands…slip." The blonde smiled coldly. Seamus noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes before he felt a burning sensation on his neck. The blonde's two lackeys withdrew their wands, still glowing brightly.

Bringing his hand to his neck, Seamus stepped backwards, eyes wide. _They'd bloody burnt him!_

"Tell him at breakfast tomorrow. If you don't, you'll wake up in the Hospital Wing in a few days." The boy spoke casually, as if he was chatting about the weather. Seamus shivered, suitably scared.

"I will."

"Make sure you do." And with that, the trio vacated the common room, leaving Seamus standing alone, face ashen, neck still glowing red from the burns. It would be some time before he would move from his spot.

XXXXX

 **7 September 1994**

 **(The day of the duel)**

"Oi, hold up!" Called someone behind him.

Seamus Finnigan turned around, eyes widening when he spotted an older Gryffindor hurrying towards him. A shining prefect badge was carefully pinned on the front of the boy's impeccable robes. The boy was handsome, with curly brown hair framing a face with a strong jaw and a pointed nose.

"Your bag's ripped," the prefect informed him. Seamus took a glance behind him. Sure enough, there was a rather large tear in his book bag, revealing the contents inside. _How had he not noticed that?_

Seamus hesitated, resigning himself to being late to Transfiguration.

"Here, let me." The prefect reached for Seamus' bookbag, and, with a flick of his wand, the tear had closed, leaving behind no evidence that the bag had been ripped in the first place.

"Thank you," said Seamus gratefully, inclining his head at the prefect. He could tell the older boy was one of those do gooders. Seamus liked him instantly.

"Seamus, right?" The prefect asked with a friendly smile at the younger boy. Seamus nodded his head.

"I'm Norman McLaggen. The seventh year prefect, you know." Seamus recognized the boy's face but, until now, hadn't known his name.

"I heard you have a duel with Potter later today." Seamus didn't question how Norman had come by the information. He was a seventh year, and a prefect, to boot.

"What about it?" He asked cautiously. Surely, Norman wasn't about to stop him from going, was he? Or even worse, rat him out?

Norman laughed, casually running a hand through his brown hair. "I'm not going to snitch on you, don't worry," he reassured the younger boy. "In other circumstances, I'd even be rooting you on."

Seamus wore an expression of puzzlement, which was quickly noticed by Norman.

Norman's handsome face settled into a serious expression. "Look, I'm trying to look out for a fellow Gryffindor, yeah? And I heard that Potter's not going to be showing up at your duel tonight."

Seamus scowled. "He isn't? The little coward."

"Didn't you meet a few of his friends yesterday? I heard they snuck into our common room to intimidate you." Norman sounded unhappy.

Seamus nodded quickly. "Those were Potter's friends? They told me to change our duel to a one versus one. There's no seconds."

"Yeah, I've seen them hanging around him," informed Norman. "You told him no seconds, right? Just you and him?"

Seamus shrugged. "I did," he confirmed. "It wasn't like I had any choice. Those blokes were scary." He shuddered at the memory, and his hand unconsciously moved upwards, touching the side of his neck where he had been burnt.

"Tell me about it," said Norman compassionately.

Seamus blinked. "So what did you say earlier about Potter not showing up to our duel?"

"It's a trap for you, mate. If you show up, MacNair'll be waiting for you."

Norman, seeing how Seamus wasn't about to respond, continued. "It's best if you don't go tonight."

"Wait a minute," Seamus interrupted the prefect. "If I don't show at all, Potter wins. If I go, at least I can prove that Potter never went." His reasoning was slightly flawed, but he remained stubborn.

Norman sighed. "Look mate, I really don't want to stop you, but do you really want to lose Gryffindor more than a hundred points? Because MacNair, the bastard, won't hesitate in docking you if he catches you. And you'll probably get detention for the rest of the year, on top of it."

He could see that the younger boy was wavering, and went in for the kill. "And besides, you're doing Gryffindor a service by not showing up. We have a great chance right now to win the House Cup. And if you don't get caught by MacNair, we'll definitely win."

Seamus, like most other Gryffindors, valued house loyalty and the House Cup. Still, he wasn't happy about essentially forfeiting the duel, even if Potter wasn't going to show up either.

"All right, I guess. I won't go. For the House Cup." Norman smiled, heartily clapping the fourth year on the back.

"Thanks, mate," the seventh year prefect told the boy before jogging back in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

XXXXX

 **7 September 1994**

 **Gryffindor Common Room**

 **11:43 p.m.**

Neville couldn't sleep. He sat up straight on his bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes.

He groaned in frustration; he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Cursing halfheartedly to himself, he leapt out of bed quietly, pulling on a velvet cloak with silver fastenings. A quick nighttime walk would do him some good.

 _Who knew,_ he thought with a grin, _maybe he'd find something interesting on the way._

His grin vanished as his foot connected- painfully- with a book lying on the ground. At times, it irked him how messy his roommates were. Tonight was one of those times, and he made a mental note to move the book when he returned to the dormitory. Cursing under his breath at whoever the owner of the offending book was, he glanced around the dormitory, relaxing when he realized he hadn't woken anyone up.

Ron and Dean were both snoring, and Neville, with the help of the moonlight that had streamed in from the window, could spot Seamus lying peacefully on his bed, out cold for the count.

He crept stealthily, one small step at a time, to the entrance of the dorm, slowly opening the door. Casting a Disillusionment spell on himself (After all, it wouldn't do at all if he was caught by some patrolling prefect), Neville frowned. He had never been good with Disillusionment Charms, and, if a person looked at him closely, they could see a faint, shimmering outline.

He shook his head. It was good enough. He walked smoothly down the corridor and into the common room, expecting to find it empty.

So he was quite surprised to see a group of figures clad in dark cloaks and hoods clustering around the entrance of the common room. Narrowing his eyes, he crept closer. After all, no group who felt the need to hide their faces and meet in the middle of the night was up to any good.

A tall figure with broad shoulders cleared his throat loudly and importantly. Neville decided to call him Broad Shoulders. He had picked up the habit of instantly giving nicknames to people he didn't know from Harry, who had picked it up from Blaise. All heads shot up to face him, and all conversations stopped abruptly. There was a few seconds of absolute silence, then…

"Everyone's ready?" The voice sounded garbled and distorted, and Neville would bet more than a few Galleons that they had applied voice changing charms on themselves. He shifted closer, straining to hear. _Ready for what?_

The rest of the figures nodded or, in the case of two bulky figures near the back of the group, grunted. Neville briefly entertained the thought that they were Crabbe and Goyle of House Slytherin. The unintelligent grunts certainly sounded alike. He barely refrained from snorting.

Broad Shoulders chuckled, the sound deep and menacing. "Then let's go say hello to Potter. Leave him with a few presents, too."

"Potter won't be going anywhere when we're done with him," another voice put in gleefully. A few snickers met his ominous words, and, without another word, the group filed out of the common room, leaving Neville alone.

He blinked. _What the hell did that mean? Potter was Harry; that much was obvious. Wait… Neville stilled. Didn't Harry have a duel with Seamus tonight? And they had said...they were going to say hello and leave him a few…presents?_

Neville's eyes widened as he realized the double meaning behind the words _. Potter won't be going anywhere when we're done with him…_

"Bugger." The single word escaped his lips, summarizing his internal thoughts. He cursed himself for not seeing it earlier. They weren't going to be simply saying a few words to Harry; they'd be doing far worse than that. Why else would they be dressed to hide their identities?

Without really knowing what he was doing, he ran out of the Gryffindor common room, briefly registering the Fat Lady's shrill protests at being woken again, at an ungodly hour, for the second time that night. He ignored her, most likely offending her and earning him an irritated scowl.

His determined eyes hardened, and his mouth was set in a grim, unforgiving line. He'd been lucky enough to hear the ending portion of their conversation; he knew what they were planning for his friend, and he sure as hell wasn't about to let them get away with it.

He had to warn someone, someone who could save Harry.

The question was, who?


End file.
